Rayhanul Islam :
Bangladesh General Students Rights Protection Council (BGSRPC) will continue boycotting their classes and examinations until publication of the gazette notification on quota abolition.
However, the protesters said that they would not take to the street again as the Prime Minister assured them to implement her declaration very soon.
Announcing postponement decision after six hours blockade at Shahbag intersection, Joint Convener of BGSRPC Nurul Hoque Nur on Monday evening said, “We won’t back to our classroom and examination centre until the gazette notification published.” He, however, said that they won’t take to the street again as the PM sent them a message that she would implement her announcement completely delivered at the Jatiya Sangsad.
“We will return to our classrooms and sit in exams with the declaration of gazette notification,” he said.
On Monday morning, around one thousand students of Dhaka University gathered in front of the Central Library boycotting their departmental class and examination.
Then, they paraded throughout the University campus and its adjacent areas, including Central Shaheed Minar, under the banner of “Bangladesh General Students Rights Protection Council”.
After marching the campus, they blocked the Shabagh intersection around 1:00pm resulting in immense sufferings of the pedestrians as vehicles movement, except ambulances, were completely stuck.
During their blockade, they chanted slogans and displayed different banners and placates calling for immediate gazette notification of quota cancelation.
The protestors said, they were forced to take to the street again as the government did not take any effective measures to implement their demands.
The students also observed protests at Jahangir Nagar University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University and Barishal University boycotting their classes and examinations.
In Chittagong University, quota reformists have been staging a sit-in on the rail tracks, blocking CU shuttle train service since 8:00am. No train left the port city for the campus since morning.
In Rajshahi University, more than 300 students brought out a procession on the campus around 2:50pm.
On Sunday, BGSRPC warned the government to observe indefinite strike from Monday morning in all universities and colleges throughout the country as the government did not respond to students’ ultimatum regarding quota abolition gazette.
Leaders of the students platform gave the ultimatum to the government to publish the notification of quota abolition by Sunday’s 5:00pm after two hours long countywide demo procession at the Teacher-Student Center (TSC) of Dhaka University.
Following the countrywide students demonstration under the4 BGSRPC banner, on April 12, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the abolition of quota system in government jobs in the National Parliament.
