Five people have been killed and over half a thousand students have been injured in police and Chhatra League attacks on protesting students in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal, Jagannath and Jahangirnagar University campuses and in various areas of the capital, including Uttara, Baridhara, Mirpur, demanding the abolition of quota system in government jobs. And protested by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami central executive council member and Dhaka Metropolitan North Amir Muhammad Salim Uddin and central working council member and Dhaka Metropolitan North secretary Dr. Muhammad Rezaul Karim.
They said, ‘The government has turned the country’s higher education institutions into battlefields by using party terrorists including Chhatra League on the agitators. Which shows the government’s undemocratic and fascist mentality.’
They said one thing in a joint statement on Tuesday.
They said, ‘Cancellation of quota system in government jobs is not a new thing, but in the recent past, in the face of agitation, the current government issued a circular canceling the quota system. But it is a matter of great regret that the government has moved away from that position and turned the country’s higher education institutions into battlegrounds by using party terrorists including Chhatra League on the agitators to confuse and thwart the ongoing movement.
In the statement, they said, ‘Government wants to appoint their party people to various positions by introducing quota system, on the contrary, students want to ensure government jobs on the basis of merit, which is a logical and fair movement. And any peaceful movement and program is the democratic constitutional right of the people. But this movement is being threatened in various ways from the top level of the government, including sarcasm. The government did not accept the just demands of the protesting students and made the situation chaotic and unstable by making provocative statements, which is undesirable.’
They also said, ‘Prime Minister has made the situation complicated and turbulent by calling the protesters as Razakar’s grandchildren in a press conference. Roads, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said in a provocative speech that Chhatra League is enough to answer the self-confessed Razakars. After his unwelcome and provocative speech, BCL terrorists started brutal attacks on educational institutions across the country including Dhaka. On July 15 and 16, he attacked Dhaka, Chittagong, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Barisal, Jagannath and Jahangirnagar universities across the country, leaving hundreds of students injured and bleeding.
They strongly condemned and protested against such attacks and called for immediate acceptance of the logical demands of the agitating students.
Metropolitan leaders also demanded exemplary punishment by bringing the attackers under the law.