DHAKA: Bangladesh remained under a curfew and widespread communications blackout on Monday, a day after the Supreme Court scaled back a controversial work quota system following deadly clashes that killed more than 100 people last week.
Since the beginning of this month, university students have been demonstrating to demand a reform of the quota system that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Peaceful protests turned violent last week, with clashes between student protesters and security forces leaving 174 people dead and thousands injured, according to a tally by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, which reported more than a dozen deaths on Sunday alone.
Bangladesh remained under curfew for a third day on Monday, with military personnel patrolling the capital and other areas, while internet connectivity remained suspended across the country, having been cut off since Thursday evening.
“Today everything is in order across the country except for a few separate incidents in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narsingdi,” Biplab Barua, special assistant to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Arab News.
“We hope that in the next 48 hours the situation will improve and the country will return to normal operations. We expect to restore broadband internet services this evening (Monday). As soon as the situation returns to normal, the duration of the curfew hours will be relaxed.”
The Supreme Court on Sunday ordered that the quota for veterans’ family members be reduced to 5 percent and that 93 percent of jobs be filled on merit, with the remaining 2 percent reserved for members of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
Bangladesh's top court was hearing an appeal. The government had abolished quotas following student protests in 2018, but they were reinstated by the high court in June, sparking a new round of demonstrations.
“Our students are not responsible for the anarchy and atrocities in the streets. It is the opposition parties… who have hijacked the movement from the students,” Barua said.
“The demands of the students have been fulfilled by the court and the government will issue a circular by Tuesday regarding the quota system in government jobs.”
Students Against Discrimination, the main organizing group of the protest, said on Monday that some of their demands had not yet been met, including the reopening of universities and an investigation into the bloody crackdown.
Student protesters are also waiting for the government to issue an official notification on the Supreme Court's decision.
“Since the curfew is ongoing, we are not on the streets at the moment. It would put the lives of our students at risk,” Sarjis Alam, protest coordinator for Students Against Discrimination, told Arab News.
“At the moment, we are waiting to see the government circular on the quota system… We have asked for the reform of quota systems in all grades of government jobs… It is very important for us,” he said. “(After) seeing the government circular, we can comment on whether our demands have been addressed or not.”
