Quota protesters block Shahbagh

Staff Correspondent: Job seekers and university students blocked Shahbagh intersection in the city on Monday noon, demanding gazette notification abolishing the quota system as per the prime minister’s declaration, bringing traffic around the intersection to a halt.

As part of the countrywide programme announced earlier by Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad (Bangladesh General Students’ Right Protection Council), students and job seekers gathered in front of the Dhaka University Central Library.

From there, they brought out a procession around 11:00am which paraded different important points of the university.

Later, they marched towards Shahbagh to stage a sit-in programme there to press for their demand.

Students at universities and colleges across the country including the Dhaka University have boycotted classes and examinations demanding gazette notification abolishing the quota system as per the prime minister’s declaration.

Earlier, quota protesters gave the government an ultimatum to publish a gazette notification by abolishing quota system in government jobs as per the Prime Minister’s announcement by 5:00pm on Sunday.

Otherwise, they threatened to begin indefinite strikes from Monday at all universities and colleges across the country.

On February 17, students and job-seekers started the movement to press their five-point demand that include introduction of unified age limit in government jobs, review of quota system in government recruitment process, including Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, stopping taking benefit by job-seekers under the same quota, filling vacant posts from merit list if the candidates from quota are not found and fixation of 10 percent quota instead of existing 56 percent.



risingbd/Dhaka/May 14, 2018/Nasir/Mukul