Thousands of students agitating for quota system reform in government jobs in the capital and elsewhere across the country vowed on Friday to resist attacks and overcome obstacles created to foil their peaceful protests.
‘We will resist those creating obstacles or threatening any students in any places in the country,’ Abu Bakar Mazumdar, a co-coordinator of the Students Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for anti-quota movement, said in his closing address at the blockade at Shahbagh crossing at 6:30pm that began at about 5:00pm.
He said that they would conduct online and offline meetings on Saturday in all universities and districts and announce their next tougher programme through a press conference at 6:00pm in front of the Dhaka University central library.
Slamming the attacks on protestors on Thursday in Dhaka, Chattogram and Cumilla, he said that they would fight back obstacles.
‘We urge the government to keep quota at a minimum level,’ Abu added.
Before blocking the Shahbagh crossing, they brought out a procession from the Dhaka University central library and marched through several streets on campus.
Dhaka College students also joined the Shahbagh blockade with a procession starting from in front of the college and marching through the Science Laboratory and Nilkhet crossings, ending at Shahabgh crossing.
Condemning attacks and intimidation of students, Ahmed Jibon, a Dhaka College history department student, told New Age that they were not afraid and determined to press home their demand.
Students continued demonstrations for the 12th consecutive day on Friday, slamming Thursday’s attacks by the police and ruling Awami League student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in several places.
Agitating students in Rajshahi blocked rail tracks, while students in other universities, including Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, Chittagong University, Islamic University in Kusthia, held rallies, processions and torch processions to press home their demand for quota reform limiting it to 5 per cent for marginalised groups.
Law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Anisul Huq on Friday said that ghosts of anti-independence elements were conspiring in the name of quota reform movement.
‘If anyone creates any obstruction, the government has to take action according to the law,’ he said while speaking with journalists at Akhaura Railway Station in Brahmanbaria.
He urged the protesting students to return to classes following the decision of the highest court on quota.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Md Habibur Rahman also warned on the day that if the students doing quota reform movement broke the law and order it would not be tolerated.
He made the remarks while responding to a journalist at a virtual programme in Dhaka city.
Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury called on the quota reform movement leadership to also focus on the issue of restoration of democracy.
Ruling Awmai League general secretary Obaidul Quader in a statement, also on Friday, said that an identified political force was trying to reap benefit by creating division between general people and students.
‘I do not believe that all innocent students want to ignore the highest court’s verdict. Only politically motivated people are trying to flex muscle ignoring the highest court’s verdict,’ he said in the statement.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said that when any non-political movements began, BNP started its evil scheme to capitalise those movements as the party failed in all its anti-government movements in the past.
The Amnesty International in a statement on Thursday expressed concern that at least 20 people, including Comilla University students, were injured in police ‘crackdown’.
Peaceful assemblies played a critical role in allowing people to air their grievances in the public domain, it said in a post shared on the Amnesty International South Asia’ verified Facebook page.
The authorities must respect the right to protest, protect peaceful protesters and halt the use of unnecessary and excessive force, Amnesty said.
Students of ethnic minority groups, meanwhile, at a rally in front of the Raju sculpture on the Dhaka University campus on Friday urged the government to uphold their 5 per cent quota in government jobs.
Hundreds of Jahangirnagar University students brought out a procession at about 8:00pm on Friday on the campus, pressing their one-point demand and protesting at the Thursday’s attacks on agitating students, New Age correspondent at the university reported.
Rail communications between Rajshahi and the rest of the country suspended after Rajshahi University students demanding quota reform blocked the rail tracks at the university railway station on Friday from about 5:00pm to 9:00pm, New Age staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported.
Students of Chittagong University and other educational institutions in the port city demanding quota reform brought out a procession from Sholosohor rail station that marched through Chawkbazar, Jamalkhan, Kazir Dewri, Lalkhan Bazar, WASA intersection and ended in a rally at Sholoshahar intersection.
The students of Cumilla Victoria Government College held a rally and procession on the campus demanding quota reform and condemning police attacks from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, New Age correspondent in Cumilla reported.
Students of Islamic University in Kusthia also held a rally on the day.
On Thursday, the High Court published the operative part of its June 5 verdict that asked the government to restore a 30 per cent quota for descendants of freedom fighters.
In the short verdict, the High Court said that the government could change, reduce, or increase the ratio or percentage of the quota of government jobs.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all 56 per cent quotas—30 per cent for freedom fighters’ descendants, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for ethnic communities; and 1 per cent for physically challenged people—in the civil service following student protests.
New Age
