In a major reform to the quota system in public jobs, the government yesterday issued a circular making 93 percent recruitments in civil service based on merit and the rest seven percent from various quotas.

The new quota system, which came in line with a Supreme Court order, will be applicable immediately to all 20 grades of the government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous, statutory bodies and corporations, according to the circular.

It said there will be five percent quota for children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters and Biranganas. One percent quota has been reserved for ethnic minorities and another one percent for persons with disability and people of third gender.

The new quota system will be applicable in the case of direct appointment that takes place following a recruitment test, it said. If the number of candidates are not enough to fulfill the quota, the vacant posts will be filled up from the merit list.

Announcing the issuance of the circular, Law Minister Anisul Huq at a press conference said, "We have implemented the apex court's verdict as is… It was mainly a movement to reform the quota and we have done it. The students now should return to their classroom."

Four key orgnaisers of the quota reform protest rejected the circular, saying there should have been a discussion with the stakeholders before issuing the circular.

"Our movement will continue until justice is done about the deaths and injured," said Nahid Islam, one of the organisers, nearly two hours after the law minister's announcement.

The circular came in the wake of an unprecedented violence centring on student protest for quota reform.

According to The Daily Star's count, at least 150 people have been killed and several thousand others injured in clashes since Tuesday.

The death toll may rise, as this newspaper could not contact many hospitals where dozens of critically injured were taken. Also, many families reportedly took the bodies of their loved-ones from the scene, and The Daily Star could not contact them. The Daily Star's count is based solely on hospital and police sources.

The violence also saw dozens of public and private establishments vandalised, burned or both. Scores of vehicles were also attacked and burned.

More to follow...