Quota protesters reunite, vow to continue demo until PM’s pledge

Overcoming its division and confusion over continuing the quota reform movement, Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Council on Tuesday afternoon announced to go on with the agitation until a specific statement from the Prime Minister to this end is made, reports UNB.

Rashed Khan, joint convener of the platform, came up with the announcement at the foot of Raju Sculpture on Dhaka University campus at around 5:55 pm.

"We'll continue our movement until a specific statement from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is made," he said.

On Monday, the council got split over continuing the movement, demanding that the existing quota system in the public service be reformed.

Following a meeting with Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, council convener Hasan Al Mamun on Monday announced to postpone the movement until May 7.

However, a group of the platform refused to accept the decision and announced to continue the movement. They started staging demonstrations on DU campus on Tuesday morning demanding reforms of the quota system in a week.

The demonstrators also demanded a written apology from Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury for her comments in parliament on Monday that the protesters are children of 'Razakars' (collaborators in 1971 Liberation War).

On Tuesday evening, both the groups shake off their differences and announced to continue the movement until a specific assurance from the prime minister comes.

At Dhaka University, several hundred students and jobseekers gathered at the foot of Raju Sculpture for the third consecutive day. They were staging demonstration till filing of this report at around 7.00 pm.

FE Report adds, the demo against existing the quota system in government jobs got further momentum following participation of the private university students in the movement on Tuesday.

The private university students joined the ongoing agitation following the protest in the public universities, also halting traffic in many intersections across the city on the day.

Md Mainuddin, a representative of the student council, told the FE that speech of Agriculture Minister Matia Chwodhury and Information State Minister Tarana Halim fuelled the students to take part in further protest from Monday night.

Subsequently, thousands of demonstrators took position at Raju Sculpture, Najrul Graveyard, Milan Chattar, Rokeya Hall premises and elsewhere on DU campus on Tuesday.

A procession marched across the campus chanting slogans in favour of their rights.

The group, which met the transport minister on Monday and declared a postponement for a month, also joined the ongoing agitation following confusing remarks by the government high-ups, said Maruf Hasan, a leader of the student platform.

Hasan Al Mamun, convener of the platform, said students across the country were told to boycott classes and exams from Wednesday and sit-in programme was held in both public and private universities on the day.

Students of East West University (EWU), Daffodil International University (DIU), North South University (NSU) and Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB), among others, demonstrated for hours in support of their fellow students.

Nearly 400 students of EWU demonstrated on Rampura Bridge and staged a sit-in, interrupting traffic, while NSU and IUB students blocked Pragati Sarani on the day.

Around 500 students of DIU blocked Mirpur Road, which created a gridlock in Shukrabad and adjoining areas on the day.

Quota comprises 56 per cent of the government jobs in the country, of which 30 per cent are reserved for the successors of freedom fighters, 10 per cent for districts, 10 per cent for women, five percent for indigenous people and one percent for physically-challenged people. The rest 44 per cent are appointed on the basis of merit.

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