Protests have been a near-daily occurrence in the country since early July, leading to clashes with police that have left 151 people dead.
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Bangladesh’s courts have scaled back a quota system for civil service candidates, but not abolished it, after its reintroduction in June sparked nationwide clashes that left 151 people dead.
“The Supreme Court declared that the High Court verdict was illegal”Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told AFP, referring to an earlier decision that reintroduced quotas. He said 5% of civil service jobs would remain reserved for children of war veterans and 2% for other categories.
The protests have been almost daily since the beginning of July. They aim to obtain an end to the hiring quotas in the civil service which reserve more than half of the positions for specific groups, notably the children of veterans of the country’s liberation war against Pakistan in 1971 and favour those close to the government.
Many say the program benefits children from pro-government groups supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without any real opposition.
