DU Correspondent :
The children and grandchildren of freedom fighters on Thursday has blocked capital’s Shahbagh intersection for the second consecutive day, demanding reinstatement of the 30 per cent quota privileges for them in government jobs.
They also called for holding a rally on October 6 to realise their demand.
Sheikh Atiqur Babu, President of “Muktijoddha Sangsad Sontan Command,” a platform of freedom fighters’ children, announced the programme to be held at Shahabgh on Saturday afternoon.
Around 40-45 people under the banner of ‘Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command’, blocked the intersection around 7:00am, halting traffic on the busy road.
Traffic from the National Press Club to Science Laboratory and from TSC intersection to Karwan Bazar remained suspended due to the blockade.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League Golam Rabbani expressed solidarity with the freedom fighters’ children He met the protesters at the intersection around 11:00pm and expressed his solidarity with them.
Meanwhile, around 30 or more students took position in front of Rajshahi Univesrity’s main gate, blocking Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, our campus correspondent reports.
Vehicular movement on the highway was completely blocked since 10:00am.
Some 30-40 freedom fighters’ children blocked the Shahbagh intersection around 9:00pm on Wednesday, hours after the Cabinet approved a proposal for abolishing the existing quota system in the recruitment process of first and second class government jobs.
The quota scrap came after months upsurge of students, who were saying the quota provision is discriminatory.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken a notice of the sprouting protests. She said: “If anyone wants quota now, there shall have to be a movement for it. And if the movement turns out to be successful, we will think about it.”
