Bangladesh On The Boil: Court Hearing Advanced – OpEd

In what is seen as desperate attempt to bring under control an escalating student movement that has left nearly 30 dead so far, the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court has brought forward the date of hearing on a High Court verdict that upheld a quota system in public service opposed by students.

The chamber judge of the Appellate Division has said the division bench will hear the case on Sunday , which is a working day in Bangladesh. 

PM Sheikh Hasina, in a recent address to the nation this week, appealed to the tens of thousands of protesting students to suspend their anti-quota movement until the court hearing.

"You should remain hopeful of a favourable verdict," she said.

But the movement intensified after the PM's address and spread all across the country , resulting in fierce clashes between police and protestors with young cadres of both the ruling Awami League and the Islamist Opposition parties joining an increasingly violent confrontation. Official sources confirmed 28 deaths so far with some agencies the toll had crossed 30. Thousands were injured , including many policemen.

The Awami League says Islamist Opposition cadres have infiltrated the ranks of protesting students who were initially peaceful and were behind the extensive mayhem like setting off fires in the government run Bangladesh Television office. They point to the statement by two student protest leaders on Friday that "the general students have nothing to do with the violence." 

League leaders also point to the provocative disclosure of US State Department on 15th July claiming death of two students when none had died. The US embassy when asked by local media to provide the names of those supposed to be dead failed. This , they allege, provoked the massive student protests on the days to follow.

Opposition parties say the highhandedness by police and armed pro-government youth groups who attacked peacefully protesting students have sparked massive popular reaction and brought angry masses to the streets. 

The government has imposed a complete Internet shutdown to control the escalating movement beginning Friday morning. Bangladesh observes weekend holidays on Friday and Saturday.

On 5 June, the High Court declared illegal the circular that cancelled the quotas, including those for freedom fighters, in first and second-class government jobs.

As a result, the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters in government jobs will remain in place.

The protestors say they are not opposed to smaller job quotas for women, physically disabled and ethnic minorities but they want the 30percent public service job reservations for family members of freedom fighters to go.

Bangladesh has a 56 percent job quota reservation in publuc service under different categories, of which the most is for family members if freedom fighters who fought during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. The protesting students want Bangladesh to move towards a meritocracy in the public sector which is the biggest employer.

On 4 October 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular to implement the cabinet's decision to abolish the quota system for direct recruitment to the first and second-class posts in government jobs. But the High Court overturned the government's circular and upheld the appeal filed by some freedom fighter associations.