Quota protest: Students block Shahbagh, Farmgate, Science Lab, Agargaon

Thousands of students and jobseekers brought out processions and blocked major intersections, including Shahbagh and Farmgate, in Dhaka today protesting the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs.

Thousands of Dhaka University students and job seekers blocked the Shahbagh intersection around 11:50am.

Earlier, they gathered in front of the central library of Dhaka University and started procession at around 11.15am, reports our DU correspondent.

After moving through several streets on the campus, they gathered at Shahbagh intersection.

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Quota protest: Students block Science Lab intersection

Our DU correspondent reported that a group of students were carrying out a procession towards Bangla Motor. 

A group of students of Dhaka University also blocked the Chankharpul intersection, a busy road near Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Due to the blockade, there was a long tailback of vehicles on the Mayor Hanif Flyover.

Students staged a sit-in on the road, chanting slogans like "We want merit-based recruitment, no quotas except for the disabled", "Students' action, direct action", and "No more tears for the meritorious", among others, reports our correspondent from the spot.

Elsewhere in the capital, several hundred students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) blocked Agargaon intersection around 11:35am.

Students from different departments were seen taking positions at the intersection near the Agargaon metro rail station.

As a result all vehicular movement from Farmgate to Mirpur, Agargaon to Mohakhali, are halted.

While staging a sit-in, they chanted slogans like "Ekattorer Hatiar Gorje uthuk Arekbar", "Medha na Quota; Quota, Quota", and so on.

Their one point demand is to reform the quota system by abolishing illogical and discriminatory quotas in all grades of government jobs.

Rocchi Mia of the university's agriculture department said, "We have been staging demonstrations as a part of the Bangla Blockade movement. It'll continue until our demand is met."

Kazi Faizul Haque of the agriculture department said, "If they even decide to cancel the High Court order, our movement will continue, because we now want the quota system to be reformed through a law."

Students of different public universities and colleges and jobseekers have been demonstrating for the last seven days demanding reinstatement of a 2018 circular that abolished the quota system in government jobs.

The Supreme Court on June 4 upheld a High Court verdict that declared the government circular illegal.