Bangladesh students to keep up protests despite scrapping of most quotas
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-calm-day-after-top-court-scrapped-some-job-quotas-2024-07-22/
Bangladesh students to keep up protests despite scrapping of most quotas
By Mohammad Ponir Hossain and Sam Jahan
July 22, 2024 4:28 AM EDT Updated 3 hours ago
DHAKA, July 22 (Reuters) - Bangladesh appeared calm on Monday amid a curfew, but widespread disruption of telecoms persisted a day after the Supreme Court scrapped some controversial job quotas, as protesters set the government a 48-hour deadline to meet new demands.
Clashes between student protesters and security forces killed at least 147 people across the South Asian nation after the high court last month reinstated job reservations removed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in 2018.
On Sunday, however, the Supreme Court ordered that 93% of government jobs should be allocated on the basis of merit, against earlier quotas of 56% for groups such as families of freedom fighters, women, and people from underdeveloped areas.
"We will continue our protests until the government publishes the verdict in the gazette," said a Dhaka University student, speaking on condition of anonymity, in a reference to the government's official record of decisions.
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