The students staged huge demonstrations across the country on July 4 as the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division set the day for hearing on the appeal filed by the state challenging the High Court's order to retain the quota system in government jobs, reports BSS.
But the Appellate Division's judgment frustrated the student protesters as the court ordered of keeping the High Court's ruling upheld, prompting them to intensify their movement across the country and announce fresh programmes to press home their demand for scrapping the quota system in government services.
The programmes included demonstrations at all universities and colleges on July 6 and a nationwide student strike with class and exam boycotts on July 7.
The demand centered on reinstating the 2018 circular that abolished quotas in government jobs, along with calls for rational reforms if necessary.
Despite heavy rain on July 4, students from different educational institutions in the capital joined the Dhaka University (DU) students under the banner of the "anti-discrimination student movement".
They blocked the Shahbagh intersection for around six hours. Later in the evening, the demonstrators left the streets after announcing a new three-day programme. That same day, students from Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Jagannath, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Barishal, Cumilla, Khulna and other universities took an oath to continue their protest on the streets until their demands were met.
Earlier, on June 5, the High Court declared illegal the government's 2018 circular abolishing all quotas, including 30 percent for descendents of freedom fighters.
The court ruling sparked widespread debates on social media and triggered protests at Dhaka University and other places. The government filed an appeal seeking a stay on the verdict.
Dhaka University led the movement centrally. Students across the country joined the Facebook group "Quota Punorbohal Chaina, (No to quota reinstatement)" which became the main platform for updates and coordination. A Telegram group with the same name was also created by the protestors.
From July 4, general students began participating in the movement in large numbers. Between July 4 and 5, students from each department and batch at Dhaka University issued joint statements expressing solidarity with the anti-discrimination student movement's call to boycott classes and exams. This resonated across other universities as well and gained significant traction on social media.
Around 11:30 am that day, thousands of students and job seekers gathered in front of Dhaka University's central library under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Marching through the gates of Masterda Surja Sen Hall and Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, they circled the VC Chattar, Raju Memorial Sculpture and finally blocked the Shahbagh intersection.
After ending the blockade around 06:00 pm, they returned to Raju Memorial Sculpture and announced a fresh three-day programme.
Nahid Islam, a key-coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, declared that on Friday (July 5), students would conduct online and offline publicity and coordination activities across colleges and universities.
