“We can confirm 147 deaths from hospitals and other sources,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the media in Dhaka on Sunday (July 28).
When asked about the number of students killed during the protests, he said it was still unclear.
He insisted that the Detective Branch had taken the quota protest coordinators into custody for safety reasons. “They will be released once the situation improves,” he said.
Attacks, vandalism and arson took place in Dhaka and other districts during the quota protests. BGB troopers were deployed to bring the situation under control. The government imposed an indefinite nationwide curfew starting July 20 and called out the army. Curfew relaxation time is gradually being extended.
Meanwhile, the government has restored mobile internet services in the afternoon after 11 days.
The government scrapped the quota system for 9th-13th grade government jobs in 2018 after student protests. Fifty-six percent of the posts were reserved for certain groups—30% for freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for districts, 5% for minorities and 1% for the disabled.
The High Court on June 5 of this year declared the government’s move illegal but said the government can reform the system if it wants.
On July 10, the Appellate Division issued a four-week status quo on the High Court’s decision. But intensified student protests and dozens of deaths forced the government to bring forward the hearing date.
On July 21, the top court ordered recruiting 93% of candidates from the merit list. The rest have been reserved for the descendants of freedom fighters (5%), the disabled, and members of the transgender and indigenous communities.
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