World Notes INDIA

Prime Minister V.P. Singh's decision eight weeks ago to give 27% of government jobs to the so-called backward classes might strike outsiders as a reasonable step toward helping India's downtrodden millions. But last week 11 students protested Singh's plan by committing suicide, five by self-immolation, while 70 others attempted to set themselves on fire. At the same time, students all over the north, mostly from the upper castes, battled police in India's worst outbreak of violence since the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

When Singh announced the quota system, he told Parliament, "This is a momentous decision of social justice." But 22.5% of federal jobs are already reserved for members of tribes and untouchables, and high-caste students fear they will be squeezed out of the job market. As protests spread, Singh said in a speech that he would not "dilute" his plan. Meanwhile, 24 towns and cities were placed under curfew.