Bangladesh Begins After Rioting After Supreme Court Removes Working Quota Rules

Dhaka, Bangladesh/ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Sazzad Bin Jafor

JAKARTA - Street conditions looked calm in the Bangladeshi capital the day after the Supreme Court agreed to remove most of the government's quota of work that has angered student activists and sparked bloody protests.

On Sunday, July 21, evening, protesters gave the Bangladeshi government 48 hours to meet a series of new demands, including a public apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the violence that occurred, and the restoration of internet connections that were disrupted during the riots.

But on Monday, July 22, most appeared to comply with curfews in cities often hit by demonstrations after a high court in June reimposed an old quota that provided much work in the state for descendants of freedom fighters and other groups.

It was reported that 147 people died in the violence, according to information from the hospital.

"The normal situation will return in a day or two," Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters.

There were no reports of violence or protests across the country on Monday, officials said.

Army tanks were seen stationed in several places on the streets of the capital Dhaka, while armed security patrols directed several motorists out.

The Supreme Court's Appeal Division on Sunday, July 21, ruled in favor of an appeal from the government, overturned lower court decisions and removed most of the quota, directing that 93 percent of government work should be open to candidates based on achievements.

Hours after the decision, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement issued a statement demanding the government reopen campuses and end restrictions imposed when protests rage.

They also called for the resignation of several university ministers and officials as well as the dismissal of police officers stationed in the area where students were killed.

"We give an ultimatum to the government to fulfill eight points of our demands within 48 hours," one of the leaders of the Movement, Hasnat Abdullah, told reporters.

He did not explain what would happen if the government did not comply with the demands. The government did not immediately comment.

Thousands of people were injured in protests last week when security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse the demonstrators.

Protesters said some of their leaders were also detained, including Nahid Islam, who told media he was picked up by "20-30 people" who claimed to be police on Sunday morning and were taken to a room where he said he was being tortured until he lost consciousness.

"When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the streets," he said. Reuters could not immediately verify Islamic information.

Experts blame these riots for their stagnation in job growth in the private sector and the high unemployment rate of young people who make work in government, with increased wages routinely and other privileges, becoming more attractive.

Hasina, who was sworn in for the fourth consecutive term of the year, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights abuses, and a crackdown on freedom of opinion and dissent in the past accusations her government denies.