Photo : Collected
Students and job seekers demanding a reform in the quota system for government jobs issued a 24-hour ultimatum to convene an emergency parliamentary session to enact new laws or executive orders.
Nahid Islam, a university student and coordinator of the anti-quota movement, briefed reporters near Gulistan intersection around 3:20pm following their submission of the memorandum at the Bangabhaban.
"Don't force us to call any kind of programme that causes public suffering. Take action within 24 hours," Nahid said.
The memorandum calls for an urgent parliamentary session to address what they refer to as "quota discrimination" by enacting new laws or executive orders.
He said, "It remains unclear to us what the government's stance is. They have the authority to reform the quota system, which has been our consistent demand.
"We are not receiving any assurance from the government. In our memorandum, we have proposed a 24-hour deadline.
"We expect the president to convene an emergency session of Parliament within the next 24 hours. If we don't see any action in this regard, more stringent programmes will be announced," he said.
Police earlier set up barricades at the Gulistan intersection, preventing hundreds of students from marching to the president's official residence.
The students stopped at the intersection around 2:10pm, our staff correspondent reports from the spot.
Thousands of students from Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and students of seven colleges under the Dhaka University Affiliation joined the procession.
Around 3:30pm, students were going back to their respective campuses with processions, after calling off their programme for the day.
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