Today’s ‘Bangla Blockade’ program has started with a single demand in the anti-quota movement. As per the pre-announced programme, seven college students blocked the science laboratory intersection of the capital.
On Wednesday (July 10) at 10:30 a.m., students of seven colleges marched in front of Dhaka College and blockaded Sciencelab intersection.
At that time, the protesting students chanted ‘Dafa Ek Daabi Eta, Kota Not Come Back’, ‘There is no place for discrimination in my golden Bengal’, ‘Dalali no Rajpath, Rajpath Rajpath’, ‘The main word of the Constitution, equality for all’, ‘compromise no struggle, Sangram Sangram’, ‘Atharo’s tool, get up again’, ‘There is no room for discrimination in Bangabandhu’s Bengal’, ‘Sara Banglaay Khabar De, Kota Prathar Kabar De’ can be seen chanting various anti-quota slogans.
It is to be noted that the hearing of the application of the state side seeking to suspend the High Court ruling declaring the decision to cancel the first and second class freedom fighter quota system in government jobs will be held today on Wednesday.
Yesterday Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., Appellate Division Chamber Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam fixed this day for hearing.
On this day, Advocate Shah Manjurul Haque heard the petition in court.
Earlier in 2018, large protests were held in various educational institutions of the country, including Dhaka University, demanding quota reforms. The then agitating students demanded to reform the quota system and bring it down from 56 percent to 10 percent.
But then the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular canceling the quota in government jobs (first and second class).
In 2021, some of the children of freedom fighters filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the abolition of quota of freedom fighters in that circular. In the judgment of that writ, the court declared that part of the circular invalid on June 5 this year.
Later, the state applied to the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division seeking a stay of this judgment. But after the preliminary hearing on June 9, the application was sent to the regular bench of the Appellate Division.
In this situation, the students have been protesting since July 1 to demand the cancellation of the quota system.
Meanwhile, on July 4, the Appellate Division upheld the judgment given by the High Court declaring the decision to cancel the freedom fighter quota system in the first and second class of government jobs illegal.