Protest against quota: Students block Shahbagh for 2nd day
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The protest march disrupts the transport movement at Shahbagh and adjacent areas
Students of different universities and colleges of Dhaka blocked Shahbagh intersection for the second day on Wednesday protesting the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs.
Several thousand students from Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Dhaka College, Eden College, and other colleges joined the demonstration that disrupted the transport movement at Shahbagh and adjacent areas.
People from all walks of life suffered immensely due to traffic gridlock caused by disruption in vehicular movement in the busy area.
The students of Dhaka University brought out protest rallies from different halls around 2: 30pm which paraded the campus and then they went to Shahbagh intersection chanting slogans against quota system and demanding restoration of 2018 circular that abolished quota system.
The students also expressed determination to continue their agitation until the cancellation of the quota system.
Earlier, the students blocked the Shahbagh intersection on Tuesday.
They demanded the cancellation of the High Court's order to reinstate the 56% quota, including the 30% quota for freedom fighters in first and second-class government jobs, and to restore the circular issued in 2018.
The protesting students proposed a four-point demand.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all the 56% quotas in the public service in the wake of protests by public university students and jobseekers demanding reforms to the quota system introduced in 1972.
On June 5, the High Court ruled that the notification issued on October 4, 2018, canceling the freedom fighter quota in first and second-class government jobs is illegal.
As a result, the 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs will remain in effect.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in 2018 canceling the 10% women's quota, 30% freedom fighter quota and 10% district quota for direct recruitment from 9th grade and 10th to 13th grade.
Source: UNB