Students rally at Raju sculpture, protests outside Dhaka too

An organised movement started on 1 July 2024 under the banner of “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement” to press home their demand for reforms in the quota system in government jobs.

A rally was organised at the feet of Raju Memorial Sculpture following a procession on Dhaka University campus on that day.

A large number of students and job seekers took positions in front of the Dhaka University library in the morning. They brought out the procession from there and paraded through the road in front of Arts Building, Mol Chattar, Masterda Surja Sen Hall, Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, Basunia Toron and came back to the Raju Memorial Sculpture at TSC (Teacher Student Centre).

The rally was held there afterwards.

The students from the rally announced to boycott all classes and exams at colleges and universities across the country until 4 July if their demands are not met.

Speaking at the rally, Anti-Discrimination Student Movement coordinator Nahid Islam, currently convener of National Citizen Party, said, “There has to be a legal resolution about our demands by 4 July. We have to be assured that the quota system will be settled once and for all.”

Nahid Islam further said, “University and college libraries must remain open, and the university administration must ensure that all the facilities for students, including the dormitories. No hall should be closed, and libraries must also remain open. We express our solidarity with the teachers’ demands against the ‘Prottoy Scheme’ (government’s universal pension programme); however, our facilities, such as libraries, halls, and medical services, must not be shut down.”

Nahid Islam also announced programmes for the next three days from the rally. Following that announcement, students demonstrated blocking Shahbagh intersection on 2, 3, and 4 July.

Different programmes were observed at Dhaka and other universities of the country on 1 July on demand for reinstatement of a government circular that abolished the quota system.

Students of Jahangirnagar University blocked the Dhaka-Aricha road. The students of Rajshahi University and Bangladesh Agricultural University also formed human chains and demonstrated to meet the demand.

The students also demanded that if the government intends to take any action in the future regarding the quota system, it must do so by first reinstating the 2018 circular. Then, a commission should be formed soon to eliminate all unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs.

Earlier, on 5 June 2024, the High Court pronounced a verdict terming illegal the government circular that abolished the freedom fighter quota in direct recruitment from 9th to 13th grades in all government, autonomous and semi-autonomous and various corporations.

This sparked the movement at Dhaka University on that day.

In this context, the state appealed with the Appellate Division seeking a stay of the HC order. Although 4 July was set for hearing on the appeal, it did not take place that day.

Dhaka University student Abu Baker Majumder was one of the organisers of the movement that started on 1 July. This Anti-Discrimination Student Movement coordinator is currently the central convener of Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, a newly floated student organisation.

Recalling the first days of the movement, he told Prothom Alo they could ensure demonstrations under the banner of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at 11 places of the country on 1 July. Demonstrations were organised at six-seven more places under the banner of “general students” to press home the same demands.

This was one of the significance of 1 July demonstrations, he remarked.

Although the organised movement started from 1 July, according to him, the month of June was also very important for the movement.

Abu Baker Majumder said that following the court order quota system was reinstated on 5 June. There were demonstrations against this on Dhaka University campus between 5 and 9 June. Then an ultimatum was issued until 30 June to meet the demands.

He further said they had planned for an organised movement under the banner of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement across the country from 1 July.

Baker said they organised the students to that end from 9 to 30 June. The movement from 1 July was the result of that effort, he added.