University campus in turmoil due to student agitations
photo: Collected
The students of various universities of the country have started protesting the restoration of 56 percent quota including 30 percent freedom fighter quota in the first and second class government jobs and demanding the cancellation of the quota system.
On Monday (July 1), the campus was abuzz with human chains, rallies and protests. The students made a four-point demand to abolish quotas and create a non-discrimination society. Several hundred students of Dhaka University protested in the campus.
They demanded to cancel the quota and reinstate the 2018 circular. A group of Dhaka University students protested on Monday and announced a 3-day program.
The angry students blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway to demand the cancellation of the quota in the job. The demands of the students are- According to the 2018 circular, the quota system in government jobs should be canceled and the merit-based recruitment circular should be maintained; Expeditious abolition of unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in government jobs (all grades) (as per the constitution only backward and disadvantaged groups can be considered) by setting up commissions.
Besides, the quota facility cannot be used more than once in the recruitment examination of government jobs. In case of non-availability of qualified candidates in the quota, recruitment on merit basis and taking effective measures to ensure corruption free, impartial and merit based bureaucracy.
One of the organizers of the movement, Rifat Rashid, a student of DU's International Relations department, said, "We will hold a mass rally at 2:30 on Tuesday. The next program will be given from there.
Incidentally, the High Court declared invalid the decision to cancel the quota system including the freedom fighter quota in the first and second class government jobs. The High Court bench of Justice KM Kamrul Quader and Justice Khizir Hayat announced the verdict on June 5 after declaring the rule issued in this regard as appropriate.
In protest against this, several hundred students of Dhaka University protested on Monday in the campus to create a non-discrimination society by canceling the quota. In the afternoon, a huge protest march started from in front of the Central Library and went around various roads of the campus via Kala Bhavan, Mall Chatwar, VC Chatwar and TSC and gathered at the foot of anti-terrorism Raju sculpture. At that time, the students said, "The basic principles of the constitution/liberation war, equality of opportunity", "Give news to the whole of Bengal, bury the quota system", "The tool of2018, let it roar again", "Wake up, the student society has woken up", "We want to cancel the quota system". I want to cancel it', 'Against quota system, direct action', 'Quota na medha, medha medha', 'There is no place for discrimination in Bengal for the liberation war' etc.
Sarjis Alam, a student of Amar Ekushey Hall, said, "Currently, the cut-throat pet quota has been given only in the first and second class, as well as in the third and fourth class jobs. As a result of this pet quota, the employee class is being favored. Where one member of a family is employed, others are also given the same benefit. But my, your parents who are laborers, farmers and hardworking people are being deprived of this opportunity. In this Bengal of Bangabandhu, in this independent Bengal, quota discrimination has no place. He said, in 2018, I buried the discriminatory, oppressive, torturous quota system through a bloody struggle. When the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and canceled the quota considering the poor student population, how was the circular canceled again from the High Court? Today, students across the country have started a movement together. The students will continue their agitation until the decision to reinstate this quota is canceled and the circular of 2018 is reinstated.
Himu, a student of Jagannath University (JnU), who participated in the rally, said, "We are being spread false propaganda that we are against the liberation war and brave freedom fighters. But we want to make it clear that we are only against discriminatory quotas, not against the liberation war. Today they say that they are a backward community. The families of brave freedom fighters get a monthly allowance of Tk 20,000 per month. Allowance is given on two Eids and Victory Day in a year. But the monthly income of many families in the country is much less than Tk. 20,000. Where they get free medical care, their children and grandchildren get university admissions only if they pass. But many students are not getting admission opportunity despite being talented. So how did they become a backward community? If the discriminatory quota is not abolished, the student community will be forced to go to a more stringent program.
Students of Jagannath University also held a protest march and student rally. In the rally, the students made four-point demands under the banner of 'Anti-discrimination student movement, Jagannath University'.
The student rally was held in front of the main gate of the university at 11 o'clock on Monday. Earlier, the students gathered in the campus and took a procession around the entire campus. The procession returned to the campus via Raisaheb Bazar intersection and circumambulated Bahadur Shah Park.
The students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a protest march and blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway. After a short rally at the foot of Shahid Minar of the university at 11:30 on Monday, the students blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway with a protest march. At this time they made 4 demands.
Zahidul Islam Emon, a student of Botany department, said in the assembly, "It is clearly written in the constitution that there will be quota only for the backward groups. Siam, a student of the International Relations Department said, "We who are doing the quota reform movement, are we doing Jamaat-Shibir." As the reason shown we state law I am protesting against. So we want to say, do the teachers who are agitating against the Pratyaya Pension Scheme today also do Jamaat-Shibir? The students warned of blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway and said that if our demands are not met, the Dhaka-Aricha highway will be continuously blocked. Not a single car will run on the Dhaka-Aricha highway.
On the other hand, the students of Rajshahi University (RU) formed a human chain and protest program for the second day. The program was held on Monday from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at Paris Road of the university. Students displayed placards with various texts in the human chain program. Among them were 'No more crying of the talented', 'Let the quota discrimination be eradicated, let the talented be freed', 'If recruitment is done under the quota system, corruption will increase in the administration', 'The country is not Pakistan, let the quota be ended' etc. At the end of the human chain, the students protested with different slogans. RUCSU Andolan Manch Member Secretary Amanullah Aman, Student Rights Association President Mehdi Sajib and Population Science and Human Resource Development Department student Mehdi Hasan Maruf spoke in the program moderated by University Philosophy Department student Rabeya Muhib.
Students of Barishal University staged a protest at the main gate of BU on the side of the Dhaka-Barishal highway on Monday afternoon. Later, a protest march took place on the highway. At this time, the speakers demanded the cancellation of all quota systems except for the quotas for disabled and backward ethnic groups.
Speakers in the gathering were: BU, the student, Bhumika Sarkar, Mainul Islam, Mritunjoy Roy, Sirajul Islam, Sujoy Shubo and others. Speakers said that due to the quota system, there has been frustration among ordinary students about getting jobs. If the quota is not abolished, a strict movement will be formed.
General students protested at Chattogram University (CU). They held this program at 11:30 a.m. on the campus of Shahid Minar of the university. The premises of Shaheed Minar echoed with different slogans. At this time they presented 4 demands.
