Staff Reporter :
Quota protesters on Tuesday reiterated their demand for issuance of gazette notification confirming abolition of the reservation system in civil service, a day after a government committee recommended zero quota in class I and II public sector jobs.
The quota reform activists staged the demonstration on Dhaka University campus where the ruling party-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men held a rally.
The BCL leaders and activists welcomed the latest recommendations from the secretary-level committee formed to review the quota system in government jobs.
The quota reform committee on Monday recommended the abolition of the quota system from 9th to 13th grades (class I and class II) of the government jobs.
Quota reform protesters organized demonstration at Dhaka University and Rajshahi, Jahangirnagor, Jogonnath and Sylhet Shahjalal Universities on Tuesday, reports our correspondents.
Hundreds of students under the banner of Bangladesh Students Right Protection Council, the platform that spearheads ongoing quota reform movement in government services, brought out a rally in DU area demanding immediate publication of a gazette notification in line with their three point demands. Meanwhile, a group of Chhatra League activists under the banner of general students also brought out a procession at the same time hailing the government body’s recommendation for abolishing the quota system for class-I and class-II jobs in civil service and tried to block quota protesters to hold the programme.
While addressing a rally, Nurul Huq Nur, joint coint convener of Students Right Protection Council urged the government to publish the gazette notification as soon as possible, withdraw false cases against the students and ensure exemplary punishment to attackers.
He further said that they did not protest merely to abolish the quota system for class-I and class-II jobs in civil service but against all kind of discrimination in government job services. Nurul Huq also warned that they would lunch tougher movement with all student organisations jointly to press home their demands. Platform convener Hasan Al Mamun said that recommendation for abolition of quota system for Class I and Class II government jobs is positive but they would continue their protests until the gazette notification is published.
While contacted, Saddam Hussain, general secretary of DU chapter Chhatra League said that general students had democratic right to hold any kind of programme and organisationally Chhatra League had no programme on Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, the secretary-level committee for review of quota system led by Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam submitted its report to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recommending abolition of quota in recruitment of Class I and Class II civil servants.
Students and jobseekers took to the streets on February 17 and continued protests for reducing the quota in government jobs to 10 per cent from the existing 56 per cent, including 30 per cent for freedom fighters’ families, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for districts and 5 per cent for ethnic minorities.
Students under quota reform platform organized similar processions on other public university campuses demanding gazette notification.
