Bangladesh Supreme Court Rules Partially In Favour Of Student Protesters After 150 Killed In Violence

In a recent judgement, Bangladesh's highest court has reduced the scope of a controversial quota system for government job applicants, marking a partial win for student protesters.

Violent demonstrations had erupted over the government's decision to reserve a significant portion of government jobs for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 independence war.

Critics of the move have argued that the system was discriminatory and favoured supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League party, as per a report by Hindustan Times.

The Supreme Court's ruling has cut the quota for veterans' relatives from 30 per cent to 5 per cent, with 93 per cent of positions now to be filled based on merit.

The remaining 2 per cent will be allocated to ethnic minorities, transgender individuals, and people with disabilities. Despite these changes, the reduction did not satisfy the protesters' demands for the complete eradication of all quotas.

The unrest, characterised as one of the most violent during Hasina's reign, led to university closures, a nationwide Internet shutdown, and a government-imposed stay-at-home order.

Protests developed into violent clashes, with police resorting to use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and smoke grenades against stone-throwing demonstrators.

While authorities did not release official casualty figures, as per the above report, at least 103 people were killed, with some sources reporting up to 151 fatalities.