Photo : Messenger
The protests demanding the abolition of the quota system in government jobs has spread across the country, making the state administration worried. The continuous movement in the last four days has created pressure on the government while there is a deadlock in the education sector.
The movement has created severe traffic jams all over the country, including Dhaka. It is gradually getting bigger. Top leaders of the ruling party think the quota movement has political aspects. Therefore, since Wednesday, there have been allegations that the leaders and activists of the Chhatra League are threatening the students involved in the movement and preventing them from joining the protests.
Awami League's Joint General Secretary and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said the BNP has failed in the movement and has entered the movement of students and teachers regarding universal pension. He said they have no power to make their own movement. “Those who have nothing to do are parasites. BNP has now transformed into a parasitic political party. Students are agitating about quota, and BNP has entered there. Teachers are agitating for pension, and BNP has entered there.”
Hundreds of students blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka for four consecutive days. Traffic on the Banglamotor-Shahbagh, Shahbagh-Science Lab, and Shahbagh-Kakrail roads came to a halt due to this. The pressure of this fell on the entire Dhaka city. The protest is being held under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement.
Students of Jahangirnagar University protested by blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway with the same programme. Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University protested by blocking the Jamalpur Express train. Besides, the students of Islamic University held a protest by blocking the Kushtia-Khulna highway. There has also been protests at Rajshahi University. Chittagong University students blocked the Chattogram-Rangamati highway for a long time. The students of Cumilla University protested for more than three hours since morning by blocking the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. Students of Islamic University staged protests and rallies by blocking the highway. The University Teachers Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) has expressed concern over the court's verdict to reinstate the system.
Meanwhile, it has been alleged that the leaders and activists of Chhatra League, who are hoping for big posts, are threatening those who are joining the movement. Those who joined the Shahbagh movement from Dhaka University were barred on Wednesday. From the locked gate from 11 o'clock on Thursday, the students said that the leaders and activists of the Chhatra League have locked the gates of various halls.
The main gate of Surja Sen Hall of the university has been locked by the Chhatra League. Hundreds of students who wanted to join the movement got stuck inside the hall. Later, the lock was opened due to protests of the students. Apart from this, Chhatra League aspirants took a stand at the gate of Bijoy Ekattar Hall and Jasim Uddin Hall. It has been alleged that the Chhatra League is preventing the students from joining the movement. At the same time, students were seen being taken to a programme at Madhur Canteen. Pictures of Chhatra League groups directing students to come to Madhur Canteen have surfaced.
The students said that the hall gates were locked by BCL Vice President Monir Hossain, BCL Vice President Mahfuzur Rahman, Joint General Secretary Rakib Hossain, Joint General Secretary Shakeel Hossain, Joint General Secretary Tawheed Zaman Ovi, Organizational Secretary Abdullah Khan Shaishab, and many others. Meanwhile, the same complaint has been received in some other universities.
-Shahbagh blocked-
Protesting students blockaded Shahbagh for the fourth consecutive day demanding cancellation of 30 per cent quota for children of freedom fighters in first and second class government jobs in government offices, autonomous or semi-autonomous institutions and various corporations. Under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement, students came to Shahbagh on Thursday around 12 noon with a protest march from the campus. Then they blocked the Shahbagh intersection. At this time, the traffic stopped. Before that, the students took position in front of the Dhaka University Central Library around 11am. From there, they marched to Surja Sen Hall, Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, TSC, and Raju Memorial and blocked Shahbagh intersection.
Despite the presence of police on one side of Shahbagh, the protesting students continued to wave the national flag and chant various slogans.
The agitating students announced four-point demand for cancellation of the quota system. The demands are - the quota system announced in 2018 should be canceled and the merit-based recruitment circular should be maintained; Subject to the 2018 circular being upheld, a commission should be set up as soon as possible to eliminate unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in government jobs (all grades) (as per the constitution only backward and disadvantaged groups can be considered), quota facilities cannot be used more than once in government recruitment tests. And if qualified candidates are not available in the quota, the vacant posts should be appointed according to merit; Effective measures should be taken to ensure a corruption-free, impartial and merit-based bureaucracy.
-New 3-day prog announced -
DU student Nahid Islam, the coordinator of the quota movement, announced a new three-day programme after the protest rally at Shahbagh intersection at 6pm on Thursday. These include online and offline meetings on Friday, protests in all universities of the country including Dhaka University at 3pm on Saturday, and sit-in along with class-examination boycott in all colleges and universities on Sunday.
-JU students block highway-
The students of Jahangirnagar University protested by blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway. The students started the protest by blocking the road in front of the university at the dairy gate area of the Dhaka-Aricha highway around 12:30pm on Thursday. This caused severe traffic jams on both sides of the highway for several kilometres. On Wednesday also, the students protested by blocking the road for almost two hours. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ashulia police station AFM Syed said that the students of Jahangirnagar University blocked the road. The protest blocked traffic on the highway.
-Protest by blocking train-
Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University protested by blocking the Jamalpur Express train in anti-quota movement. On Thursday afternoon, the students stopped the train on the railway line near Jabbar intersection. During this time, they staged a protest march and stood on the railway line and demanded the cancellation of the quota system with various slogans. The passengers of the train suffered due to the blocking of the train. The agitating students said that the quota system should be canceled immediately. If the demand is not met, more strict movement will be done continuously. Railway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mamun Rahman said that the students blocked a train by pulling red cloth for about three hours and the train passengers suffered.
-Chattogram-Rangamati highway blocked-
Students of Chittagong University blocked the highway demanding cancellation of quota system. The rally started at the university's central Shaheed Minar square from 11am on Thursday. Later, the students blocked the Chittagong-Rangamati highway from 12:30pm to 1:30pm at gate number 1 of the university through zero point. Abdul Malek, a second-year student of the law department, said in the gathering, "The freedom fighters certainly did not fight for the quota of their children and grandchildren. They fought against discrimination.”
-Blockade of Kushtia-Khulna highway-
The students of Islamic University held a protest and rally by blocking the highway. At this time, the students demanded to maintain the circular of 2018. Students blocked the Kushtia-Khulna highway for 20 minutes from 12 noon on Thursday. At this time, there was a traffic jam on both sides of the road. More than three hundred students from various departments of the university participated in the student rally.
-Dhaka-Chittagong highway blocked-
The students of Cumilla University protested for more than three hours by blocking the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. On Thursday around 3:30 pm, Comilla District Administrator and Superintendent of Police requested them to leave the road and announced the programme again on Friday. Deputy Commissioner Khandkar Mushfiqur Rahman told them, “It is not only your demand but the demand of all students of Bangladesh. I will send the demand you have given to the Prime Minister's Office.”
-Rajshahi University protest-
The angry students of Rajshahi University blocked the highway demanding the annulment of the verdict on the reinstatement of quota in government jobs and the reform of the quota system. The demand was made by blocking the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the main gate of the university on Thursday. Protesting student Amanullah Khan said, “We will not leave the streets until our demands are met. I want this discrimination to end.”
-Quota cannot substitute merit–
The University Teachers Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) has expressed concern over the court's verdict on the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs. At the same time, the organization has supported the ongoing movement of students to demand the cancellation of the quota system. In a statement on Thursday, the president of UTAB ABM Obaidul Islam and Secretary General Prof. Dr. Md. Morshed Hasan Khan expressed this concern.
Messenger/Fameema
