DU Correspondent :
Police on Sunday evening dispersed thousands of students and job seekers who blocked Shabagh intersection, demanding revision of quota system in government jobs.
After the demonstrators refused to withdraw the blockade, the law enforcers charged batons, lobbed teargas shells and used water cannons on the protesters to clear the busy intersection.
Being driven off, the protesters got mobilised at Raju Memorial Monument at Dhaka University Teacher-Student Centre.
Earlier, the students and job seekers blocked the Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection, pledging not to move until their demand of revising the quota reservation is brought down.
The protestors said that they would not halt their movement until the Parliament, which is in session now, announced to quota reforms.
They gathered under the banner of “Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad” at Dhaka University Central Library and marched to occupy Shahbagh intersection around 2:30pm.
Since then, traffic was completely halted at the intersection and police took up positions at the scene with water cannons.
At the time the protesters burned an effigy of Public Administration Ministry Senior Secretary Md Mozammel Haque Khan.
As the part of central quota reforms programme, hundreds of students of Jahangirnagar and Rajshahi universities also brought out protest processions on their campuses yesterday demanding the quota reforms.
The students of Jahangirnagar University blocked Dhaka-Aricha highway for 30 minutes as part of the ongoing agitation.
Chittagong University students formed a human chain demanding the reformation of the quota system on the university campus. They also held a rally in this regard.
Later, they blocked the Chittagong-Rangamati Highway for some time to press home their demand.
The protesters, calling for quota reforms, have continued their demonstration for some time. On March 14, the protesters attempted to deliver a five-point charter of demand to the Secretariat, but their demonstration broken up by police, leading to several arrests.
Coordinator of the movement, Dhaka University student Md Ujjal Mia told The New Nation, “We want Parliament to announce quota reforms in this session. We will not halt our demonstration until reforms are announced.”
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressing a rally in Chattagram on March 21 said that any seat left vacant after a quota, would be filled based on merit. But the Public Administration Ministry said that those seats would be filled by another quota. We object it severely,” said Ujjal.
However, the Prime Minister categorically said that the existing quota system to stay as the nation’s gratitude for the sublime sacrifice of the freedom fighters to liberate the country.
Another coordinator Hasan Al Mamun told The New Nation, “Parliament is in session. The members of parliament are elected by a direct vote. We will see what they do for the people.”
“We will clear the road once parliament reaches a decision in our favour. Our protest is completely non-violent. We will not retaliate even if they shoot us.”
The demonstrators five-point demand include reducing the reservation of quotas in government jobs, recruitment of jobseekers to vacant posts on the basis of merit if eligible candidates are not found under quota, stopping of special recruitment tests for quota candidates, and ensuring of an unified age limit for all jobseekers.
