A clash between two groups took place on the second day of the ongoing agitation program at Barishal University (BU) demanding the withdrawal of the 'Prayatya' scheme of the universal pension scheme.

At least 10 people from both groups were injured in the clash in the area adjacent to the administrative building on Tuesday (July 2) afternoon. Four of them have been hospitalized.

Eyewitnesses said that there was a clash between the Officers Association and the Direct Officers Association. After this incident, there is extreme tension between the two groups of university officials.

According to sources, when a newly formed organization of officers in the name of Direct Officers Association wanted to join the University Officers Association, which was agitating under the banner, there was first an argument, then scuffles and clashes between the two groups. At that time, when both groups attacked and counter-attacked with plastic chairs, injuries occurred.

According to a source in the university officials, rivalry between the two groups started when the supporters of the current mayor formed another officers' association when the former mayor's supporters were in majority in the officers' association.

President of Barishal University Teachers Association Md. Baten Chowdhury said that the clash took place between those who became officers directly and those who became officers through promotion. Several members of the Direct Officers Association were injured.

University Accounts Officer SM Iqbal said, we started protesting against the pension scheme peacefully. At this time, the attack happened. Several of us were injured. Among them, Deputy Director Abul Hossain has been admitted to the hospital.

Barishal University Officer Association President Bahauddin Golap said, We have been agitating under the banner of Officer Association for a long time. Suddenly today the agitators came in front of us with a banner in the name of Direct Officers Association and became furious. We are the only recognized organization of officers in the university.

He also said that we were attacked first and then counter-attacked. In this incident, four people including university doctor Tanjim Hossain were admitted to the hospital. At least 6/7 others sustained minor injuries. Bahauddin Golap said that they have planned to stab the ongoing movement from behind.

On the other hand, Subrata Kumar Bahadur, president of the Direct Officers Association, said that the people of the Officers Association attacked them without provocation during the ongoing program.

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Barishal Bandar police station M.R. Mukul said, two groups of officers of Barishal University retaliated against the position. After the situation got a little chaotic, the situation came under control with the intervention of the police and teachers.

The registrar of the university, Monirul Islam, said that the vice-chancellor has already ordered to investigate the incident properly and take necessary measures. We collected videos from CCTV footage and started analyzing them.

According to the latest gazette of the Ministry of Freedom Fighters, the number of martyred intellectuals in the country is 560. The number of this list may increase further said the Minister of Liberation War A, K, M Mozammel Haque.

The minister gave this information in response to a written question by Member of Parliament for Chittagong-11 Constituency M Abdul Latif in the budget session for fiscal year 2024-25 in the JS on Tuesday (July 2). Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the session.

The Liberation War Minister said that so far the list of martyred intellectuals has been published in four phases. Among them, 191 people in 2021, 143 people in 2022, 108 people were published in February 2024 and lastly in the fourth phase in April this year, the ministry published the names of 118 people.

The minister also said that the preparation of the list of martyred intellectuals is a continuous ongoing process. The activities of a national committee in this regard are ongoing. National committee members and collecting data of Shahid intellectuals are continuing information collection, verification and gazette publication activities. This program will continue till December this year. A complete list identifying the martyred intellectuals who are not on the list will then be published.

Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali termed the movement of University teachers demanding cancellation of universal pension 'Pratya Scheme' as unreasonable.

The finance minister said this in response to a question from reporters at the Ministry of Planning on Tuesday (July 2).

He also said that he could not find any reason for the movement on the announced 'Pratya Scheme' to include teachers in the universal pension system.

Meanwhile, public University teachers-officers-employees have announced to continue the general strike by refusing to join the universal pension scheme Pratyaya.

Universities have come to a standstill due to the indefinite strike that began on Monday (July 1). Classes, from examinations to administrative activities are closed in the movement. Today, the second day of teachers-employees participated in the strike program. From there, it is clarified that no Prtayaya scheme will be accepted. If necessary, the movement will become stricter and stricter. They claimed that the scheme is discriminatory. So that University teachers will suffer financially. 

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.