The court canceled most of the employment quotas, more than 100 people were killed in the protests

Detail from Dhaka, Photo: Reuters

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most quotas for government jobs that sparked student-led protests that killed at least 114 people.

A third of public sector jobs were reserved for relatives of veterans of the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

The court’s appellate division threw out a lower court order that reinstated quotas, ordering that 93 percent of government jobs will be open to candidates based on merit, without quotas, reports said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government abolished the quota system in 2018, but a lower court reinstated it last month, sparking protests.

A spokesman for one of the student groups said the protests would continue.

“We welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court,” the spokesperson for Students Against Discrimination told AFP.

“But we will not end our protests until the government issues an order reflecting our demands.”

The streets of the capital Dhaka were deserted as curfews were extended as authorities prepared for a Supreme Court hearing on job quotas. Soldiers patrolled the streets of Dhaka, the center of demonstrations that turned into clashes between protesters and security forces.

Internet and text messaging services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday as police cracked down on protests, which continued despite a ban on public gatherings.

The curfew has been extended until 15 p.m. and should continue for an “indefinite time” after a two-hour break during which citizens were allowed to get supplies and do other work, local media reported.

( Radio Free Europe )