- Nearly 150 people have been killed in violent protests across the country.
- The Supreme Court has overturned the High Court's decision reinstating employment quotas.
- The student group has given the government 48 hours to respond to their demands.
DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is set to formally accept the country's Supreme Court ruling that scrapped most quotas in government jobs, an issue that sparked deadly protests across the South Asian country in recent days.
The Appellate Division of the high court on Sunday set aside a lower court order that had reinstated quotas, mandating that government jobs would be open to merit-based candidates, without quotas.
Nearly 150 people have been killed in violent demonstrations across the country during clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Bangladesh.
The protesters wanted authorities to reverse a high court decision last month that reinstated a quota system that reserved nearly 60 percent of government jobs for certain people, such as families of those who fought in the 1971 war.
Following the court ruling, the student group leading the demonstrations that have escalated into deadly violence suspended protests for 48 hours on Monday, with its leader saying they did not want reform “at the cost of so much bloodshed.”
However, the student group leading the protest has given the government 48 hours to meet eight demands, including a public apology from Hasina and the reopening of university campuses closed when the violence began.
Calm reigned in the capital Dhaka and most major cities for a second day amid a curfew and internet and telecommunications shutdown imposed by the government after protests erupted last week.
However, the security situation is not yet fully under control, the army chief told reporters, visiting the capital by helicopter on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, officials have said the curfew will be relaxed for four hours in the afternoon to allow people to buy essential goods.
The acceptance is expected to be published in the government's formal register on Tuesday, media said, meeting one of the protesters' demands.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Hasina blamed her political opponents for the violence and said the curfew, imposed on Friday, would be lifted “when the situation improves.”
