Bangladesh students refuse to call off protests, seek govt order 'reflecting demands'

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi student group, whose nationwide action spiralled into clashes that left at least 139 people dead, has said that the protests would continue despite a Supreme Court ruling partially meeting its demands.

"We won't call off our protests until the government issues an order reflecting our demands," a spokesman for Students Against Discrimination told AFP on condition of anonymity Sunday. 

Bangladesh's top court earlier in the day scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that have sparked student-led protests in the South Asian country.

The court's Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas, directing that 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas, the reports said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.

It was not immediately clear how the protesters would react to the decision.

Streets near the apex court were quiet immediately after the decision and army teams were deployed throughout the capital Dhaka, a Reuters witness said.

Local media had reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces

The government had extended a curfew as authorities braced for the Supreme Court hearing on the job quotas.

Soldiers were on patrol on the streets of capital Dhaka, the centre of the demonstrations that spiralled into clashes between protesters and security forces.

Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.

Additional input from Reuters