The agitating students have blocked the Shahbag intersection of the capital to demand the reinstatement of the circular issued by the government in 2018 canceling the quota system in government jobs.
On Tuesday (July 2) around 3:30 pm, hundreds of thousands of students marched to Shahbagh and blocked it. As the road was closed for almost an hour due to the four-point demand, severe traffic jam was created in all the surrounding areas. As a result, the passengers have suffered greatly.
Earlier, the agitating students started their march from the National Library of Dhaka University, visited New Market and reached Shahbagh.
Imran Hossain, a student of the Islamic History and Culture Department of Dhaka University, said that this is not the first time discrimination through quota. In 1987, it was said that the quota would gradually increase, but in 1997, we also saw that grandchildren were added to the quota instead of children of freedom fighters. At times we have seen horrendous discrimination through quotas. It also happened that no one got cadre in BCS exam even though they got 200th while they got admin cadre in quota by getting 5000th. If there are no quota holders, the seats remain vacant but general students do not get places. This is our one-point demand that the 2018 circular should be reinstated against such terrible discrimination.
The agitating student Zubair Ahmed said, we are the victims of discrimination by their children in that country who made this country independent by fighting against discrimination. We will not accept this discrimination in any way. This movement will stop with the reinstatement of the 2018 circular.
The Supreme Court ruled that the circular canceling the freedom fighter quota for direct recruitment (9th to 13th grade) in government offices, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions and various corporations before the holy Eid-ul-Azha on June 5. From that day, a large number of students started protesting in Dhaka University. In this situation, the state applied to the Appellate Division seeking suspension of the court's decision. A full bench of the Appellate Division fixed July 4 for hearing the petition.
Nahid Islam, a student of Sociology Department of Dhaka University, one of the organizers of the recent quota reform movement, said that their demand is mainly to redistribute or reform the quota by setting up a commission with a maximum quota of 10 percent in all grades subject to the upholding of the 2018 circular; Stopping the possibility of using quota facility multiple times in the job examination and appointing the vacant posts on the basis of merit if qualified candidates are not found in the quota and taking effective measures to ensure a corruption-free, impartial and merit-based bureaucracy.
Till 2018, there was a total of 56 percent quota in government jobs in Bangladesh. That year, protests started in various educational institutions of the country, including Dhaka University, demanding quota reform. At that time, the protesting students complained of attack by law and order forces including Chhatra League.
On October 4 of that year, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular on the cancellation of quota. Later in 2021, the children of freedom fighters filed a writ challenging the part of the freedom fighter quota cancellation of that circular.
Meanwhile, the Muktijoddha Sangsad Ishan Command and Bangladesh Muktijudda Manch have called for a procession and rally on Wednesday under the banner of 'Muktijoddha Quota Punbarhal Andolan'. This program will be observed at Shahbagh in the capital on that day at 3 pm.
Al Mamun, the former leader of Chhatra League, who is leading this movement, told the media that since the killing of the family of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, the freedom fighter quota has not been implemented for 21 years. The freedom fighter families could not overcome that loss even today.