After violent riots, a Bangladeshi court eliminates job quotas.

The majority of the government employment quotas that had triggered violent conflicts throughout Bangladesh that have claimed over 100 lives have been abolished by the country’s top court.

A third of positions in the public sector were set aside for soldiers’ families from the nation’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. However, the court has since decided that relatives of soldiers may only be assigned 5% of the jobs.

Within days, the government will put the decision into effect, according to Law Minister Anisul Huq. A few leaders among the students have promised to keep demonstrating.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision,” one organiser, Nusrat Tabassum, stated. But the executive department is the object of our primary demand. The continuing statewide total shutdown programme will not end unless their demands are met.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Huq refuted claims that Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who has held the position since 2009, was beginning to lose influence“In that scenario, you would have witnessed a nationwide uprising by the populace. In fact, they have stood behind the administration during this unrest and agreed that action by the government is necessary to put a stop to the bloodshed,” he stated.

He attributed the destruction of “the symbols of Bangladesh’s development” on opposition groups who participated in the demonstrations.
The BBC was informed by a number of protest movement organisers that demonstrations would carry on unless the government intervened.

Justice for demonstrators slain in recent days, the release of protest leaders in custody, the restoration of internet access, and the resignation of government officials are among the other demands made by the students.

A second day of curfew has left the capital city of Dhaka barren, yet skirmishes have persisted on occasion even after the supreme court’s decision.

The official death toll is about 115, however the local media gives a substantially higher death toll. Just on Friday, there were at least 50 fatalities.

According to a Supreme Court decision, 93% of public sector positions must be filled on the basis of merit, with 5% going to the relatives of soldiers of the nation’s independence fight. People with impairments or members of ethnic minorities will receive the remaining 2%.

The demonstrations began this month after a lower court reinstated the quota system, which Ms. Hasina’s administration had abolished in 2018.
Source:BBC