Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has expressed solidarity with the ongoing movement of freedom fighters' quota seekers at Shahbagh intersection of the city and helped in forming a new body to press home their demands on Monday.
President of Muktijoddha Sangsad Sontan Command Sheikh Atiqur Babu told the FE on Monday evening that the shipping minister, also a freedom fighter, along with some freedom fighters expressed solidarity with their protest.
Besides, a seven-member committee has been formed to press home their demands with freedom fighter Helal Morshed Khan as convener, he added.
He also said that their movement for reinstating 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters' children and grandchildren in public services will continue unless the demands are met.
The freedom fighters' quota seekers continued their demonstration for the 6th successive day on Monday partially blocking the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka and highways across the country for hours.
Besides, physically challenged people also continued a separate protest at the same place demanding five per cent disabled quota in class-l and Class-ll government jobs, which earlier was one per cent.
The demonstration for preservation of 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters' wards disrupted traffic movements in many areas of the country causing sufferings to commuters.
Freedom fighters' quota seekers started a sit-in programme blocking the Shahbagh intersection hours after the cabinet endorsed scrapping quotas in class-I and class-II government jobs on October 3.
They rejected the circular issued by the Public Administration Ministry to this end on Thursday and continued occupying Shahbagh intersection.
They also demanded resignation of the Public Administration Ministry secretary for issuing the circular scrapping quotas in the two categories of public services.
Muktijoddha Sangsad Sontan Command, a platform of freedom fighters' children, and some other organisations started the protest on Wednesday.
A M Russel Ahmed, chairman of 'Muktijuddher Sangsad Sontan Online Command' informed the FE that demonstrations were also held across the country including the highways and educational institutions with for restoration of 30 per cent quota in government jobs for freedom fighters' wards.
The government on Thursday last finally scraped the quota system in government jobs following a series of agitation enforced by quota reformist students across the country for months under the banner of Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad.
The platform said its demand was logical reformation of the quota system, not abolition.
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