Maitree Express services between Kolkata and Dhaka suspended due to protests in Bangladesh | News from India

Due to ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh, services of the Maitree Express connecting Kolkata to Dhaka will remain suspended until Tuesday, Eastern Railway said, citing operational reasons.

Train services have been suspended since Saturday, officials said. In addition, the bi-weekly Kolkata-Khulna-Kolkata Bandhan Express was also cancelled on Sunday, PTI reported.

The protests in Bangladesh began after Sheikh Hasina’s government passed a controversial quota resolution that would allocate 30 percent of civil service jobs to descendants of 1971 war heroes who fought for independence against the Pakistani regime.

The protests turned deadly on July 16, a day after clashes with police broke out at Dhaka University. The violence escalated further as police used tear gas and rubber bullets and threw smoke grenades to disperse stone-throwing protesters.

Later, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh mitigated the controversial quota decision.

The Supreme Court was due to rule on the legality of the recently reinstated system next month, but brought forward its ruling as the civil war crisis deepened.

On appeal, the Supreme Court ordered the veterans quota to be cut to 5% and 93% of positions to be merit-based, with the remaining 2% reserved for ethnic minorities, transgender people and people with disabilities.

Law Minister Anisul Haq of the ruling Awami League party welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it was “well considered”.