The Appellate Division's order on Sunday that dismissed the High Court's pro-quota verdict of June 6 can be said to be a victory of the agitating students who have been staging a bloody anti-quota movement. As the government side, by default, was pleading on behalf of the students in the court, it can, arguably, be said to have fought for the students' cause.
Now what does the apex court's order have on offer for the anti-quota students? Ninety-three per cent of the government jobs in question will now be outside the quota system. This will enable the candidates seeking government jobs to compete on the basis of merit. Of the remaining 7 per cent, 5 per cent will be reserved for the Freedom Fighters and their descendants. The rest will go to ethnic minorities, the physically challenged and the transgender groups.
Against this backdrop, the government hopes that student protests against the quota provision in government jobs should now die down. For, in its verdict, the appellate court, also ordered the government to execute its order through a notification to that effect. The government ministers concerned have also promised that they would implement the court order in the soonest possible time. But the anti-quota students' reaction welcoming the court order, as expected, was not forthcoming. One of the anti-quota student leaders that media reporters could contact on the day the apex court order was issued was rather cautious about his response. As could be gathered from his reaction, the students would wait until the government notification was issued as per the court order.
The student leader so contacted also wanted assurances from the government to the effect that the pro-quota attackers on their peaceful processions and rallies would be brought to justice and that government would not take any punitive action against those who participated in the anti-quota protest demonstrations. It appears, there is still a trust gap between the anti-quota students and the government. In that case, the trust deficit, if any, should be addressed without delay for the sake of early restoration of peace and stability on the campuses as well as the streets.
In this connection, the apex court as well as the government also expressed hope that the students would now return to their educational institutions and concentrate on their studies so that normality may return in the country.
Let us hope so. But the question will continue to haunt public mind as to why such unprecedented violence erupted in the wake of the students' anti-quota movement, in the first place. It is indeed beyond comprehension how a student demonstration of non-political nature turned so bloody so that the government had to impose curfew, deploy the police, the paramilitary force, Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) and, finally, members of the armed forces to quell the unrest that spread across the nation. Going by the statements issued by the government from time to time, destabilising forces not connected with the quota issue have been trying to 'fish in the troubled water'.
One wonders why the government did not at the early stage of the anti-quota movement recognise the students' legitimate demands and engage them in a dialogue. That could avoid intrusion, as suggested by the government, of any outside elements into the scene.
The university authorities, too, failed to play their role in defusing the tension created on the campuses due to the face-offs between the anti and pro-quota groups. As a result, the violence gradually spilled over into the streets and created the ideal ground for, as the government maintains, drawing 'third force' into the movement.
Good sense should prevail. The warlike situation taking its toll on human lives and economy should end.
sfalim.ds@gmail.com