Rayhanul Islam :
Bangladesh General Students’ Rights Protection Council (BGSRPC), the platform of the quota reform students on Wednesday threatened of tougher movement from Sunday if the gazette notification on abolishing quota system in public service would not be published by Thursday.
They also alleged that the government is ‘staging a drama’ in the name of publication of the gazette notification.
Nurul Huq Nur, a Joint-Convener of BGSRPC, made the announcement after a rally at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture on Dhaka University campus.
In the morning around 2,000 students mainly from Dhaka University (DU) brought out a procession from DU Central Library premises and dispersed at Raju Memorial Sculpture after parading different roads of the university and Shahbagh area.
As part of their pre-schedule program, human chains were formed in all the universities and colleges demanding swift publication of the gazette across the country.
In the capital, students formed a human chain stretching from the TSC area to the VC’s residence.
Another Joint-Convener of the platform, Rashed Khan said, “We want immediate gazette notification as per Prime Minister’s declaration on quota system.”
“Although 28 days have passed since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced cancellation of the quota system on April 11 there is no progress in publication of the gazette notification”, he added. He also said, “We have kept faith on government, but now government is staging a drama and hatching conspiracy over publishing a gazette notification”.
“If the government does not publish the gazette by tomorrow (Thursday) then students across the country will take to the street again from Sunday” he added.
Our JU correspondent adds that students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) held a human chain on the JU central Shaheed Minar premises. Around 400 hundred students of different departments and institutions took part in the program withholding placards demanding for swift gazette publication of quota system.
Addressing the program, the convener of movement JU Unit Shakil Uzzaman said, we have full faith in Prime Minister’s proclamation. Since she (prime minister) assured us, we do believe that the gazette of abolishing of quota system will be published very soon. However, the protest program will be continued.
In Rajshahi University around 600 hundreds students of staged a human chain on the university’s paris Road demanding immediate gazette publication.
The students of Shahjalal Science and Technology University, Chittagong University, Comilla University, Islamic University, Barisal University and some others universities staged human chain on their campuses demanding swift gazette publication of abolishing quota system.
Earlier on April 26, the protesters warned that they would resume agitation if a gazette notification was not published by April and then they also gave time to government till May 7.
The protesters took to the street on April 8 and continued the protests for five-point demands, including reduction of quota in public service recruitment to 10 per cent from the existing 56 per cent.
In the wake of mass protests by students, on April 11 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Parliament declared that the quota system would be scrapped. The quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and was amended several times.
