After organising programmes regularly on the streets since the beginning of this month, students demanding reform of quotas in government jobs have decided to take a break from field-level activities today.
Students of different higher educational institutions held blockade programmes across the country to protest the police attacks on them and to press their one-point demand on Friday.
The protesters will hold online and offline conferences of representatives from all universities and colleges in 64 districts across the country, said Abu Bakar Majumder, a coordinator of the quota reform movement, after a blockade programme at Shahbagh on Friday.
Abu Bakar Majumdar said, “Our next programme will be announced at a press conference at 6pm today. Our peaceful movement has been attacked by the police in various parts of the country. From now on, if any of us is attacked anywhere, we will put up an all-out resistance. At the same time, we strongly condemn the attack on journalists and students. Administration attacked journalists to mar our movement.”
Mohammad Mahin Sarkar, another leader of the movement, said, “The government is playing with the students’ emotions by shuffling different options like the High Court and parliament. We want to tell the prime minister that you have to understand our emotions, and pay heed to our demands. If a law is not passed in parliament in this regard, we will not leave the streets. If the student body using your picture tries to block our movement, it will not be good.”
Earlier, the agitating students gathered in front of the Central Library of Dhaka University at 4:30pm on Friday. From there, they marched through various roads of the campus to reach the Shahbagh intersection, which they blocked for an hour.
The police barricaded the area under the Shahbagh metro station, but did not stop the protesters. Protesters left the area around 6:30pm.
The students’ movement started with a four-point demand, including the reinstatement of the 2018 circular that abolished the quota system. In view of that, on 10 July, the Appellate Division ruled that the quota cancellation circular was reinstated.
However, since 7 July, the students are talking about a one-point demand of passing a law in parliament to abolish unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs and bring the quotas for the backward groups mentioned in the constitution to the minimum level.
The police did not bar the students’ agitation initially, but on Thursday, they charged batons and fired tear gas shells at the protesting students in different parts of the country, including Comilla University, Chittagong University and Begum Rokeya University, injuring several students.
Quota protesters block railroads, streets
On Friday, students of various universities and colleges held blockade programmes across the country to protest the police attacks and to press their one-point demand. Students of Jagannath University protested against the attack by blocking the main gate of the university.
Besides, the students of Comilla University took a protest march from the main gate of the university towards the vice-chancellor’s bungalow. After staying there for some time, the students gathered in front of the Ansar camp there. The students of Comilla University gave a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding the resignation of the proctor.
The Rajshahi University students blocked a railway line to protest the police attacks on students and demanded reform of the quota system.
They blocked the rail line adjacent to the Station Market around 5:00pm on Friday, halting rail communication between Rajshahi and the rest of the country.
Students of Chittagong University (CU), various private universities and colleges affiliated with CU brought out a procession from the port city’s Sholashahar railway station area around 5:00 pm on Friday and took position at Gate Number-2 area.
Thousands of students participated in the protest march, said sources.
Students of Islamic University also organised a programme to protest the police attacks. They took out a protest march under the banner of Anti-discrimination Student Movement from the university’s Bat Tala area around 4pm.
The procession circumambulated various roads of the campus and halted in front of the Mrityunjai Mujib mural in front of the university’s main gate.
‘Anti-independence ghosts conspiring in the name of quota reform movement’
Law Minister Anisul Huq has said the ghosts of people opposing the country’s independence are indulging in conspiracy in the name of the ongoing quota reform movement of students.
“I cannot deny that the ghosts of those who opposed the independence of Bangladesh and who conspired to kill Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with his 17 family members are involved in some conspiracy in the name of quota reform movement today. I believe the students will go back home following the order given by the Supreme Court regarding the quota,” the minister told journalists at Akhaura Railway Junction in Brahmanbaria on Friday.
“If someone damages lives and properties, then the government will take action as per the law,” he added.
Also, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman said disrupting law and order in the name of agitation will not be tolerated.
The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division has given a one-month stay on the verdict given by the High Court on the quota system in government jobs. All should trust and respect the court. There is an obligation to obey court orders, he told journalists at the “Walton-CRAB Sports Festival and Fruit Festival” organised in the capital on Friday.
