Quota reform protesters present memorandum to president
A delegation from quota reform protesters has presented their memorandum to President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.
They handed over the memorandum to the president’s military secretary after 3:00pm. They later went to Gulistan where other students took position.
When the delegation headed to Bandabhaban, thousands of students and job seekers took position before the Gulistan shopping complex and were chanting slogans in favour of their demands.
The delegation of protesters includes Nahid Islam, A Kader, Asif Mahmud, Md Mahin Sarker, Hasib Al Islam, Sarjis Alam, Meherun Nesa, Sumaya, Asif, Rifat, Arif Hossain and Masud.
Earlier, the students started a mass march under the banner of ‘anti-discrimination student movement’ from in front of the Dhaka University library around 12:00 pm today, Sunday. Students began gathering in front of the library with small procession even before 11:00 am. Some larger processions also arrived later.
Aiming for the mass march, a huge number of students started a procession at 12:02 pm. The procession paraded different roads on the Dhaka University campus, Shahbagh and Matsha Bahban before coming face to face with police barricade at Shikkha Odhikar Chottor. Later they moved ahead breaking the barricade. The students were also obstructed by police at Zero point and GPO intersections.
At one point of altercation with police, the students took position at Zero Point at 1:18pm while another section of students including platform’s leaders Nahid Islam, Hasnat Abdullah and others were seen discussing with police.
Later the delegation advanced to the Bangabhaban at around 1:30pm. Nahid told Prothom Alo that they will inform the students about the development.
Meanwhile, students of universities and colleges outside the capital placed memorandum to the president through deputy commissioners.
Apart from the mass march, the students also boycotted classes and exams and enforced strike for sixth day.
The students demanding reform of the quota system have been at continuous movement since 1 July. The movement started with a four-point demand, including the reinstatement of the circular cancelling quota system in 2018.
However, they have been talking about only one demand since 7 July. The demand is to pass a law in the parliament to abolish unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs and bring down the quotas for the backward communities mentioned in the constitution to a minimum. They have proposed to keep a maximum quota of 5 per cent in all grades.