Students block Dhaka-Aricha highway demanding quota abolition
The rally began at 11:30am at the university's Shaheed Minar, where students gathered to voice their demands.
Jahangirnagar University students staged a protest on the Dhaka-Aricha highway today (1 July), calling for the abolition of the quota system in government jobs and the enforcement of merit-based recruitment.
The rally began at 11:30am at the university's Shaheed Minar, where students gathered to voice their demands.
Following the rally, the students marched through the university and ended at the Dhaka-Aricha highway, where they blocked the road for 10 minutes from 11:57am to 12:07pm, causing significant traffic congestion.
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The students are demanding the immediate formation of a commission to abolish what they deem an irrational and discriminatory quota system across all government jobs (all grades), as outlined in a 2018 notification.
They also demand that the use of quota benefits be restricted to only once in recruitment exams and that any unfilled quota positions be filled based on merit. Additionally, they call for effective measures to ensure a corruption-free, impartial, and merit-based bureaucracy.
According to the protesters, only the backward and underprivileged communities should be considered for quotas, as stipulated by the constitution.
During the rally at the Shaheed Minar, students from various departments spoke, moderated by Arif Sohel from the International Relations Department.
Jahidul Islam, a student from the Botany Department and General Secretary of a faction of the Student Union, said, "The date for the hearing in the full bench of the Appellate Division has been set for 4 July. This movement is in response to the High Court's decision.
"The constitution clearly states that quotas should only be for backward communities. But are all descendants of freedom fighters considered backward? Or only the sons of freedom fighters? In 2018, we saw a hasty decision to abolish the quota, which the High Court recently declared illegal. Therefore, our stance remains the same. The quota system must be abolished."
Tauhid Siam, a student from the International Relations Department said, "If the quota system is not abolished by 4 July, we will block the Dhaka-Aricha highway. The Liberation War of 1971 was fought to eliminate discrimination. Millions joined the war to end the discrimination imposed by Pakistan. Bringing back that discrimination through quotas has insulted the heroic freedom fighters.
"If the discriminatory quota is not abolished by 4 July, vehicles will not be allowed to run on the Dhaka-Aricha highway. The highway will be blocked indefinitely until this discriminatory quota is abolished.
