The anti-quota students protested against the police attack on the quota reform activists at various places and demanded the passing of a law in the Parliament to cancel all other quotas by leaving reasonable quotas for minority groups, disabled in all grades, and demanding the passage of a law in the Parliament. At that time, they demanded that those who attacked the quota opponents in different districts be identified and brought to justice. Apart from this, as part of the program yesterday, students blocked roads and railways with protests in universities and major cities across the country. The next program of the movement will be announced through a press conference at Dhaka University this Saturday afternoon.
Blockade program was held at Shahbag yesterday afternoon under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement. Earlier, the agitators gathered in front of the central library of Dhaka University and took out a protest march. The procession circumambulates the important roads of the campus and ends at Shah Bagh. Later they gathered at Shahbagh and held a protest program. No attack occurred during the stay at Shahbagh. During the blockade, traffic in the area around Shahbagh was completely stopped. However, the students make way for the ambulance. The protestors chanted slogans such as quota not merit, merit merit, quota should be abolished, the meritorious should be freed, there is no place for discrimination in my golden Bengal, compromise not struggle, struggle struggle, why attack on my brother, administration wants answers, etc.
Mahin Shahriar, coordinator of the quota movement in the program, said that there was a police attack on the peaceful movement of students across the country on Thursday. Even in Dhaka University, the ruling student organization brought hired goons to sabotage our movement. We want to clearly state that this movement is not the agenda of any party. Common student interest movement. Students across the country will make their existence known if our peaceful movement is disrupted. If any attempt is made to attack any of our brothers again, the protesting students will give a bitter response.
Sharzis Alam, another coordinator of the anti-quota movement, said that the current movement of students is a movement for their rights. Bangladeshi students have been struggling on the streets for their rights for ages. We have seen these peaceful movements attacked like terrorists. My question is, have we come to Hasile street for any political purpose? Students have taken to the streets to protest the injustice done to them. More than 30 innocent students were injured in the police attack. As the coordinator of the quota movement, I want to say that you cannot suppress the students by attacking. Immediately resolve the quota issue logically by calling an emergency session and passing a law in Parliament. Students will not return from the streets without claiming their rights.
Coordinators’ online meeting and press conference today: In order to speed up the quota reform movement, the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, Abu Bakr Majumdar, announced that the Bengali blockade program will be closed today. He said that the next program will be announced this afternoon based on discussions in offline and online meetings with coordinators across the country. For this purpose, this leader of the movement called a press conference in front of the central library on Saturday evening. He also said that Comilla University, Chittagong University, Begum Rokeya University and other universities were attacked by police and Chhatra League activists. I protest this despicable attack. We demand that those who have carried out terrorist attacks on peaceful programs be immediately identified and brought to justice. Journalist friends did not get any exemption from them. If this attack happens again, the angry student community will inform in its capacity. We are receiving threats from various quarters due to the agitation on the streets. We common students don’t care about this threat. I demand from the government to implement the demand by calling an emergency session and passing the law in the parliament without showing the court. Otherwise this movement will intensify.
Incidentally, during the blockade program on Thursday, the police attacked the students at different places. At this time tear gas, rubber bullets were thrown, banners were torn down and batons were used. More than 30 students were injured.
Protests on different roads of Chittagong: Severe traffic congestion
Chittagong bureau said, students under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement protested in a wide area of Chittagong city yesterday in the ongoing agitation program demanding quota reform. Yesterday, they assembled at the city’s Sholshahar railway station and marched through Biplab Udyan to Sholshahar via Pravartak Mor-Chakbazar-Jamalkhan-Kazirdevi-Wasa. As a result of the movement of anti-quota students, severe traffic jams were created on various roads of the city. At this time, a large number of policemen followed them.
Protest march in Jabi
Jabi correspondent said, Jagannath University Jagannath University students protested the police attack on students of different universities during the program on Thursday. The protest started at 4:30 pm on Friday in front of Kala Bhavan of the university. They took a protest from the campus and surrounded Victoria Park and took a position in front of the main gate of the campus. They stayed in front of the campus for 30 minutes. At this time, all traffic on this road towards Sadarghat was stopped. Apart from this, massive traffic jams are created around the Sadarghat area.
At that time, the students said, ‘Kota na Medha, Medha Medha, why the attack on Kubi, the administration should answer, why the attack on Chabi, the administration should answer, the movement by attacking/suing, it cannot be stopped, one point, one demand, one, quota not come back, whole. Bengali Khabar De, Kota Prathar Kabar De’ etc. slogans were given.
Protests in Mymensingh
Mymensingh Office said that the students of various institutions including Govt Anand Mohan College have blocked the road at Ganginarpar traffic junction in Mymensingh city and held a peaceful program. The agitating students staged a protest at Ganginarpar traffic junction, the main commercial area of the city, on a holiday from 5 pm to 6 pm on Friday. At that time, the students said that by canceling the unreasonable and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs, the quotas for the backward groups and those with special needs mentioned in the constitution should be reformed by passing a law in the parliament and bringing the quotas to the minimum level based on fairness. During the movement, four roads in the city were closed, causing disruption to traffic.
Torch procession in Bashemurbiprabi
Bashemurbiprabi representative said that the students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University of Science and Technology (Bashemurbiprabi) held a protest march, sit-in program and torch procession to protest the police attack.
The protest march started from Lipuz canteen of the university at 5 pm on Friday and circled the entire campus and ended in front of the main gate. Later, the students took a sit-in program there. Taking position in front of the main gate, the students chanted various slogans against the attack on the quota activists across the country. Then around 7.30 in the evening, the agitating students took out a torch procession in the campus.
Human chain in Syedpur
Syedpur (Nilphamari) Correspondent said, in Syedpur of Nilphamari, a human chain was held with the participation of students of various educational institutions. The human chain started at 3:30 pm in front of Syedpur Press Club under the banner of ordinary students and continued for two hours. At this time, the road was filled with students’ slogans. At this time, the students said, today all the students of the country are united. Students will not return home until the quota is abolished. At that time, they condemned and protested the students who were attacked and tortured.
Bakribi students protest wet in rain
Bakrbi representative said, general students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (Bakribi) held a protest rally in rain. The procession proceeded to KR Market of the University and later to Muktam to Abdul Jabbar Junction. After that, the students got wet in the rain and chanted different slogans against the quota system. About 200 students were present at this time.
Speakers in the rally said, ‘quota system is creating discrimination in the field of education. We want evaluation of merit. Ordinary students were injured due to police obstruction in various universities of the country. We strongly condemn such behavior.