Free those arrested in quota reform movement

Seven leaders of the movement demanding reforms in the quotas for government jobs, are still behind bars, according to a Prothom Alo report. The others are in hiding, not being able to stay in their designated student halls. These students were not engaged in any anti-government movement. They were demanding a reform of the 55 per cent quota reserved in government service. They even halted their movement when assured by the top level of government that the quota system would be abolished.

The question remains as to why violence and chaos erupted over the quota reform movement. It had started out as a peaceful demonstration. But police action and repeated attacks by Bangladesh Chhatra League disrupted the peace on campus. For long, the general students on campus had been harassed by a section of Chhatra League leaders and activists. The university authorities, however, chose to turn a blind eye. As a result, the students rose up in angry protest, as was evident in the uprising by the students of Sufia Kamal Hall.

When a cabinet committee was formed to look into the matter, it was hoped that peace and order would be restored on campus. Unfortunately, that was not so. The government-backed student wing continued their onslaught against the general students and the police arrested the leaders of the quota reform movement. Yet they did not touch the attackers, not even when they used a hammer to break the bones of a protester’s leg. What sort of justice is this? The charges against those arrested in the quota movement are flimsy and vague. The movement leaders say none of them were involved in any sort of violence.

The government policymakers simply repeat that the law must take its own course. However, that is not being done, or not allowed to happen. The ICT act under which Rashed and other others have been arrested, is a most controversial law and even the government has said it will be abolished. Yet the government is using it as a weapon. It is not up to the ministers or law enforces to decide what is instigative of what is criticism of the government. That is for the court to decide. But before that can even happen, the students’ lives are being made intolerable.

Their dream of getting government jobs on the basis of merit has long been dashed to the ground. Even getting an education has become a struggle for them. A mother of one of the arrested students has appealed to the government to release her son, saying she will take him back to the village with her.

The recent movement for safe roads met with the same fate. When the school children were being beaten up on the streets, students of certain private universities came out in protest and clashed with the law enforcers. Again, Chhatra League activists swooped down on the protesters in brutal attack. Where was law taking its own course?

All the charges against the arrested students must be dropped. They must be released immediately. Only then can peace and normalcy return to the campus.