Jobseekers demand reform in quota system

Several hundred jobseekers on Sunday staged demonstrations in Dhaka city's Shahbagh intersection, demanding that the quota system in public service be reformed.

According to UNB, the demonstrators were graduates from different colleges and Dhaka University.

They used separate banners, including General Students' Rights Protection Mancha (Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Sangrokkon Mancha), Titumir College Students (Titumir College Chhatrabrindo) and stood on the road stretching from Shahbagh intersection to TSC of Dhaka University at 10:20am.

They were chanting slogans placing their five-point demands that include introduction of unified age limit in government jobs, review of quota system in government recruitment process, including Bangladesh Civil Services (BCS) examination, filling vacant posts from merit list if the candidates from quota are not found and fixation of 10 per cent quota instead of existing 56 per cent.

Al Amin Niloy, a master's degree student of Dhaka University's History department, said their programme is neither against quota system nor against the government. "We're actually demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs."

Huge law enforcers were deployed in the area as the demonstration was going on.

Talking to UNB, deputy commissioner of Ramma Zone Maruf Hossain Sarker said, "We've requested the protesters to move towards Shaheed Minar to keep the area -- from Shahbagh to TSC -- free from gatherings."

Meanwhile, the demonstrators started leaving the Shahbagh area.