DHAKA: Bangladesh remained under a curfew and a wide-ranging communications blackout on Monday, a day after the country's Supreme Court scaled back a controversial job quota system following deadly clashes last week that left more than 100 people dead.
University students have been protesting since the beginning of this month to demand reform of the quota system that reserves 30 percent of government jobs for the families of veterans of Bangladesh's war of independence.
According to Bengali daily Prothom Alo, peaceful protests last week turned violent, with 174 people killed and thousands injured in clashes between student protesters and security forces. The newspaper reported that more than a dozen people were killed on Sunday alone.
Bangladesh remained under a curfew for a third day on Monday, with soldiers patrolling the capital and other areas and internet connectivity suspended nationwide since Thursday night.
“Everything has returned to normal across the country today, except for a few incidents in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narsingdi,” Biplab Barua, special adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Arab News.
“We hope that the situation will improve over the next 48 hours and the country can resume normal operations. We expect to restore broadband internet service tonight (Monday). The curfew will be eased as soon as the situation normalizes.”
On Sunday, the Supreme Court ordered that the quota for veterans' families be reduced to 5 percent and that 93 percent of jobs be allocated on a merit basis, with the remaining 2 percent reserved for minorities and people with disabilities.
Bangladesh's top court has ruled on an appeal. The government scrapped the quota system after student protests in 2018, but a high court in June reinstated it, sparking fresh protests.
“We, the students, are not responsible for the anarchy and brutality on the streets. The opposition has hijacked the movement from the students,” Barua said.
“The students’ demands have been met by the court and the government will issue a circular on the quota system for civil servants by Tuesday.”
Students Against Discrimination, the main protest organizing group, said Monday that some of its demands, including reopening universities and an investigation into the deadly crackdown, remained unmet.
Student protesters are also waiting for the government to issue an official notice regarding the Supreme Court's ruling.
“We are not going out on the streets now because the curfew is in place. Our lives will be at risk,” Sarjis Alam, protest coordinator for Students Against Discrimination, told Arab News.
“We are now waiting for the government circular on quota system… We have demanded quota reform in government posts at all levels… It is very important to us,” he said. “After seeing (the government circular), we can comment on whether our demands have been addressed.”
