Students stage countrywide demo for quota reform

Desk Report: Countrywide demonstrations for quota reform in government jobs started with fresh strength this morning, pressing for five-point demand including reducing the quota privilege to 10 percent from 56.

The demonstrators have a five-point demand including reducing the proportion 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.

Expressing solidarity with the Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, students from different educational institutions across the country have been continuing their demonstration demanding a reformation of the existing quota system in various government recruitment process.

Our correspondent Rezaul Karim at Chattogram reports, thousands of students of Chattogram University (CU) have been continuing their demonstration pressing for a reformation of the existing discriminatory quota system.

Student protesters blocked the shuttle train at the university’s rail station and at the city’s Sholoshohor station from 8.30am on Wednesday.

Hundreds of students converged on the port city’s Sholoshohor Railway station blocking the university's shuttle train.

Our correspondent Tohidul Islam at Jahangirnagar University (JU) reports, several thousand students took position on Dhaka-Aricha highway in front of their main gate since 10:30am, halting traffic movement on the highway.

Earlier around 9:30am, they brought out a protest rally in front of the university's central library in support of the demand.

Thousands of students of Jagannath University (JnU) have been demonstrating by blocking English road in Old Dhaka and Dhaka-Mawa road since 10:30am, halting traffic movement completely. They chanted slogans in support of reformation in the existing quota system.

Risingbd correspondent Abdullah Al Noman reports from Sylhet, hundreds of students from different educational institutions of the city started gathering at Couhatta point and demonstrating with a five-point demand of reforming the existing quota system in various government recruitment process.

They blocked roads and chanted slogans demanding punishment of Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury for her remark on quota reform protestors, interrupting traffic movement in the roads.

Meanwhile, Zilla Parishad Chairman Advocate Lutfor Rahman expressed solidarity with the quota reform protestors, calling their demand "logical".

Our correspondent Badal Saha reports from Gopalganj, students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University in Gopalganj have been demonstrating blocking Dhaka-Khulna highway in support of the demand. They also boycotted their classes and examinations.

Blocking Khulna-Kushtia highway, students of Islamic University also have held a demonstration pressing for the demand.


risingbd/Dhaka/April 11, 2018/Tipu/AI