Students have been demonstrating at the Raju Memorial Sculpture of Dhaka University from 12:20 pm today, Monday demanding quota reform in government jobs.
A number of students from different educational institutions, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka Medical College, Eden Girls College, Dhaka Nursing College and Dhaka University have joined the demonstration.
The students are chanting various slogans in protest of the prime minister’s statement regarding the quota reform movement.
One of the key coordinators of the protesters, Sarjis Alam addressed the demonstration around 1:45pm. He said, “No one can repress us if we are united in our fight for this rational and justified demand. There is no alternative to prioritising merit for the advancement of the country. A 56 per cent quota doesn’t go with the spirit of the liberation war.”
Sarjis Alam said the statement from the prime minister disappointed the students. He said, “We demand only one thing - a rational quota reform. It’s the government’s responsibility to make arrangements so that we can go back to our studies. We won’t leave the streets until our demand is realised.”
He also spoke on the media's role saying, “A few so-called newspersons are questioning the dignity of journalism with their activities. These sorts of yellow journalism must stop.”
The ‘anti-discriminatory student movement’, a platform for the anti-quota movement, says they are holding demonstrations today in protest of the ‘derogatory’ remarks from the prime minister at a press conference last night. They also staged demonstrations on the DU campus late in the night yesterday.
The first procession, led by one of the key coordinators of the protesters Mahin Sarker reached the Raju Sculpture on DU campus at 12:10 pm. Later, a group of students from the Dhaka Medical College and Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College joined them with a procession. The students have been thronging there in groups since then.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, movement coordinator Mahin Sarker said they gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to call an emergency session at the parliament for a rational reform of quota for all grades of government jobs through a memorandum addressing the president of the country. However, they are yet to get any response. Meanwhile, the prime minister’s remarks regarding the movement during a press conference on Sunday further escalated student agitation. The students are demonstrating at Raju Sculpture in protest of the prime minister’s statement.
Besides, the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) have obstructed the protesting students from joining the demonstrations. They showed their muscle power wielding arms openly on the campus, which further agitated the students.
Socialist Students' Front’s DU unit organising secretary Mozammel Haque alleged the Eden College BCL unit attacked the protesting students. Several of the students sustained injuries in the attack.