DHAKA: Students in Bangladesh, whose protests against civil service job quotas ignited widespread unrest, announced on Sunday they would continue their demonstrations despite a Supreme Court decision partially meeting their demands.
A spokesperson for Students Against Discrimination, speaking anonymously to AFP, affirmed, “We won’t call off our protests until the government issues an order reflecting our demands.”
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s Appellate Division of the Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that had reinstated quotas for government jobs. The new directive stipulates that 93% of government positions will now be filled based on merit, without the quotas that had been a focal point of student-led protests. The quota system had initially been scrapped by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2018.
The reinstatement of quotas by the lower court last month had triggered mass demonstrations across the country, resulting in clashes between protesters and security forces. According to local media reports, at least 139 people lost their lives in the unrest.
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the streets around the apex court were reported to be relatively calm initially, with heightened security measures in place including deployment of army teams in Dhaka.
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Earlier in the day, there were isolated incidents of clashes between protesters and security forces. The tension had prompted the government to impose curfews and intensify security measures leading up to the Supreme Court hearing.
In a bid to control the situation, internet and text message services in Bangladesh had been suspended since Thursday, cutting off communication channels amid the crackdown on public gatherings.
