The anti-discrimination student movement demanding reinstatement of the 2018 circular scraping the quota system in government jobs got momentum on July 3, spreading to educational institutions across the country, reports BSS.
After the vacation of Eid-ul-Azha, the university campuses and other educational institutions across the country turned into protest grounds that eventually evolved into "July Uprising" countrywide spontaneously participated by student-mass people, ending the almost 16 years autocratic rule of Awami League.
In continuation with the movement, students of Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh staged a demonstration by blocking a railway track, disrupting train movement on July 3.
Jahangirnagar University students blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Chattogram University students barricaded the Chattogram-Khagrachhari Highway and Barishal University students blocked the Barishal-Kuakata Highway as well.
On the day, the protestors laid a siege to capital's key Shahbagh intersection for around one and a half hours. At around 2.30pm, students gathered in front of the Dhaka University Central Library to press home their demands. Students from Dhaka University, seven government colleges affiliated with DU and various institutions under the National University participated in the programme. The protest march, organised under the 'Anti-Discrimination Student Movement', paraded through the DU campus and then passed Doel Chattar and the Supreme Court area before reaching Shahbagh by around 3.45pm.
The protestors then occupied the Shahbagh intersection and remained there until 5.12pm, obstructing vehicular movement.
During the blockade, they sang protest songs and chanted slogans such as: 'Quota Na Medha, Medha Medha', 'Quota Protha Nipat Jak, Medhabira Mukti Pak, 'Atharor Poripotro, Punorbohal Korte Hobe', 'Chhatra Somaj Gorbe Desh, Medha Bhittik Bangladesh', Amar Sonar Banglai, Boishommer Thie Nai', 'Apos na Songram, Songram Songram', High Court Na Rajpoth, Pajpoth Rajpoth and 'Dalali Na Rajpoth, Rajpoth Rajpoth'.
While blocking Shahbagh, Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the movement, said they hoped the court verdict scheduled for the next day (July 4) regarding the cancellation of the quota abolition circular would favor the students.
He also announced that they would gather again at 11am the next day in front of the DU Central Library.
Besides, on July 3, students of Jagannath University blockaded the Tatibazar intersection in Puran Dhaka at around 3.30pm, chanting anti-quota slogans. They returned to campus after occupying the road for about an hour.
Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University also took to the streets, blocking the Agargaon-Khamarbari road.
Before this, at around 12pm, they brought out a protest procession from in front of the central library, marching through various campus roads.
Their slogans included, 'Amar Desh, Amar Ma, Boishommyo Manina', Quota Boishommyo Dur Kor, Noile Buke Guli Kor' and Sara Bangla Khobor De, Quota Prothar Kobor De'.
