Quota protests escalate, disrupting city traffic

Students of private universities on Wednesday joined the ongoing demonstration demanding reform in quota system in public services, blocking several key points of the city.

The forum that has been protesting at the quota system vowed to continue their programme until a specific announcement comes from the prime minister for immediate reform. On Tuesday, most of their supporters backed out from a reported deal with the government to postpone the demonstration for a month.

The protests resuming from Dhaka University campus spread campuses across the country and now the private unversity students, infuriated by the finance minister's statement of imposing value added tax on them, joined the demonstration in Dhaka city.

North-South University students laid a siege at Pragati Swarani in front of Bashundhara residential area in the morning, said witnesses.

Students of more than one private universities stopped movement of traffic through the Panthapath as they gathered at the crossing that two ends of Green Toad, Russel Square and Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel crossing.

Students of Daffodil University blocked the roads of Dhanmondi area while students of University of Asia Pacific laid a siege at Farmgate.

The sudden blockade at major points of the city forced the drivers to change their routes or in many cases, keep the vehicles away from the roads.

On Monday, road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader sat with a delegation of 20 leaders of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhon Parishad (General Students Rights Protection Council) and announced that the government would scrutinise the quota system and the demonstration would postpone the protests until 7 May.

However, dissidents of the group declined to accept it and decided to go ahead with the demonstration. On Tuesday evening, most of the leaders of the group decided to rescind the postponement decision.