Photo: Collected
"Bangla Blockade" movement will continue despite the Appellate Division staying the High Court order reinstating quotas in government jobs. Students of Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University have announced this on Wednesday (10 July).
Abdur Rashid Jitu, Joint Convener of JU wing of Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement said, while the High Court's verdict on upholding the quota of freedom fighters in government jobs (grades 9 to 13) has been suspended for four weeks, the blockade programme will continue until the "one-point" demand of the protesting students is implemented.
He said, "Our movement in 2018 was for quota reform, our demand is still the same. Our demand is to abolish the unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs and maintain a minimum quota for the disadvantaged groups as mentioned in the constitution by passing a law in the parliament.
"Therefore, our ongoing movement will continue until a clear decision is made in favour of the implementation of our 'one-point' demand", he added.
The High Court on 5 June ordered the government to retain the 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs.
It also declared illegal the circular issued on 4 October 2018 cancelling the quota system.
Soon after the verdict, students announced their non-stop movement. The quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and was amended several times.
Messenger/Mumu