Staff Reporter :
Traffic movement in different parts of the capital came to a halt on Wednesday as university students continued their demonstrations for the fourth consecutive day blocking roads to press home their demand for reform of the quota system in government jobs. The protests resuming from Dhaka University campus spread campuses across the country and now the private university students, infuriated by the finance minister’s statement of imposing value added tax on them, joined the demonstration in Dhaka city.
Students blocking several key points of the city on Wednesday of different private universities joined the ongoing demonstration demanding reform in quota system in public services.
Students of Asia Pacific University brought out a procession in Green Road area and took position at Farmegate, halting traffic movement.
Traffic movements at Panthapath and Mirpur Road remained suspended for several hours as the students of Daffodil International University took to the streets to press home their demand.
Students of several private universities also put up blockades at Satmasjid Road in the city’s Dhanmondi area creating huge trouble to commuters as well as students of school and colleges.
Students of different private universities, including Asia Pacific, World, City, UIU, Ahsanullah and North South put up barricade on roads at Agargaon, Mirpur Road, Azimpur, Jigatola, Firmgate, Dhanmondi and Basundhara areas disrupting vehicular movement and triggering huge traffic gridlock. Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University took to the streets at 10 am to express solidarity with the movement for quota reform, disrupting traffic at Bijoy Sarani and Mirpur Road.
Students of Eden College, Dhaka College and Home Economics College took position at New Market intersection around 10:4m am and staged demonstrations. Besides, students of Daffodil University blocked road on the eastern side of Dhanmondi-27. Golam Rafi, a student of Asia Pacific University, said, “This is a logical demand. We will continue our movement until our demand is met.”
Earlier in the morning, several hundred Dhaka University students gathered in front of its Central Library and staged demonstrations as part of their scheduled programme.
