DU Correspondent :
A group of young people under the banner of Freedom fighters siblings and grandchildren held a human chain on Saturday in front of national museum at Shahbagh intersection in the city heart with the call for continuing the quota system for offspring of freedom fighters in civil service.
Under the banner of “We are the siblings of freedom fighters (SFF)” around 50 young took part in the event. Speakers in the event said “people opposed to the spirit of independence are trying to catch fish in trouble water under the cover of quota movement. They are in fact trying to create chaos and sabotage the peace.”
Ali Reza, join convener of Dhaka University (DU) unit of the SFF said, “Bangladesh will move with the ideals of the freedom fighters and the system will continue as per the wishes of people who gave blood and sacrificed life for establishing this nation “.
Terming the ongoing quota reform movement as an anti-government movement, he further said, ” We will not allow any such movement in future if they again try to create unrest in country for fulfilling their illogical demands.”
Md Sajjad Hossain, President of Central Committee of SFF, said, “they (quota reformists) neither want revision of current quota system nor abolition, their main aim is to create unrest and ousted the current government”.
In speech, he also pressed for nine-points demands including preservation of 30 percents quota for freedom fighters in civil service and to bring those culprits to book who made humiliating remarks on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
DU Sociology Department Professor AKM Jamal Uddin said, ” it won’t be desirable for the nation if the government surrenders to Jamaat-Shibir men in attempt to abolish freedom fighters quota”. Terming current quota in government jobs as appropriate Professor Jamal requested government not to interfere in freedom fighters quota in notification of the gazette. At present, 56 percent of government jobs are reserved for candidates of various quotas, while the remaining 44 percent is drawn from applications on the merit list.
Of the 56 percent, 30 percent are kept for freedom fighters children and grandchildren, 10 percent for woman, 10 percent for people of underdeveloped districts, five percent for members of indigenous people and one percent for physically- challenged people.
