After deadly clashes between protesters and police in Bangladesh, the top court in Dhaka has partially reversed the reintroduction of a controversial quota system in the public sector, which had led to prolonged, violent student protests.
From now on, 93 percent of recruitment must be based on performance, the court ruled on Sunday, according to broadcaster BBC Bangla. This at least partially followed the protesters’ demands. Only the remaining seven percent would be subject to a quota system and reserved primarily for descendants of soldiers who fought for the country’s independence in 1971, the judges ruled.
The previous system, by contrast, reserved 30 percent of posts for war veterans — and more than half of the posts should have been reserved for certain groups. Observers say the arrangement favored supporters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Unemployment and inflation are high in the country of more than 170 million people. Government jobs are generally well paid.
More than a hundred dead in bloody protests
More than 100 people have been killed in the protests since the violence began on Tuesday, BBC Bangla reported, citing newspapers including Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Current reports from these and other local media were not available online over the weekend. The government had largely cut off internet, phone and text messaging services. The number of casualties has not been officially confirmed.
A curfew has been in place in the country since midnight on Friday and the army has been deployed across the country. However, there were isolated violent incidents on Saturday, according to BBC Bangla. The curfew is to be relaxed from 3pm (local time) today to allow people to do essential shopping.
Source: Krone
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