Protest against quotas: Students block Dhaka-Aricha, Chattogram, Barishal and Rajshahi highways
Students of different universities blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, Dhaka-Barishal and Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway in protest against the High Court's order that termed cancelling the freedom fighter quota in first and second-class government jobs as illegal.
Students of Jahangir University blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway today morning for half an hour.
Comilla University students block Dhaka-Chattogram Highway
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In Cumilla, students brought out a protest march inside the university around 12pm today (4 July) and then moved toward the Kotbari Bishwa Road on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway around 12:30pm ultimately blocking the highway.
Till the time of writing the report at 2pm the students are protesting by blocking the Dhaka-Chattogram highway which created long tailbacks on both sides.
Nurul Islam, a student of the Bangla Department and Abdur Rahman, a student of Archeology Department, said they want the implementation of the circular of 2018.
They said, this discrimination (quotas) in government jobs should be removed and recruitment should be done on the basis of merit. Otherwise, the movement will continue, they added.
Dhaka-Barishal Highway
Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Barishal highway has been suspended since this noon as Barishal University students put up barricades, demanding cancellation of the freedom fighter quota system in government jobs.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the highway, causing immense suffering for commuters, reports UNB.
Abdur Rahman Mukul, officer-in-charge of Barishal Port police station, reported that students began protesting near the university's main gate around 12:30 pm. They demanded cancellation of all quotas in government jobs, except for those designated for people with disabilities and individuals from underdeveloped districts.
During the blockade, students voiced their concerns, declaring that no discrimination will be allowed through the quota system. They emphasized the need for measures to ensure that people with disabilities and those from underdeveloped districts can avail the quota opportunity once, to prevent general students from being deprived of their desired jobs.
RU students block Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway
Students of Rajshahi University blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway in protest against the quota reinstatement in government jobs.
The movement started around 10:30am with the blocking of Paris Road inside the campus then they moved to the highway in front of the university while braving the rain.
The students blocked the highway for about one and a half hours. All types of vehicles were stopped. The students announced that they will continue their agitation until their demands are met.
The agitators said that, the quota system should be reformed by forming a commission according to the 2018 circular, a person should be allowed to enjoy quota benefits once in his lifetime for government jobs, the quota system should be re-evaluated through economic survey and a corruption-free merit-based bureaucracy should be ensured.
Jahangirnagar University students block Dhaka-Aricha highway for 30 minutes again
Following the Supreme Court's decision Jahangirnagar University (JU) students immediately took to the Dhaka-Aricha Highway with a protest march from the central library today (4 July) around noon.
During the protest, students chanted slogans such as "No place for discrimination in my golden Bengal," "Down with the quota system, let the meritorious be free," "No more tears for the talented," and "Merit or quota, merit merit."
Initially, the protestors announced a one-hour blockade but, considering the inconvenience to commuters, they blocked the highway for about 30 minutes. This caused severe traffic congestion on both sides of the highway.
At the protest rally, moderated by Abdur Rashid Jitu from the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture, Tawhid Muhammad Siam, a student of the International Relations department, said, "The Appellate Division has played tricks with the student community today. We want to say that if decisions are made against the student community, the entire Bangladesh will be brought to a standstill. Give a verdict in favor of the students quickly. Otherwise, you will have to bear the consequences. Today, we are leaving the road considering the suffering of ordinary people. But that doesn't mean we will always leave the road thinking about ordinary people, while the state ignores our concerns. We will not leave the road until the quota system is abolished."
Regarding the situation, University Proctor Professor Alamgir Kabir said, "The students have held this program across Bangladesh. There is nothing we can do here. However, we have been able to make them understand the suffering of the general public. Two gates of the campus have been left open for ambulance passage. They have travelled through the campus. At our request, the students have moved from the highway to the campus.
