Quota protest: Students begin march towards Bangabhaban

Thousands of students demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs started marching towards the president's official residence Bangabhaban this morning.

They will submit a memorandum to President Mohammed Shahabuddin regarding their one-point demand.

Photo: Star

Students gathered in front of the Dhaka University Central Library around 11:00am and started the march around noon, reports our DU correspondent.

Visiting the spot, our staff correspondent found that students were carrying placards and national flags.

Jagannath University and students of seven colleges under the Dhaka University Affiliation joined the procession.

Photo: Star

"Withdraw the false case within 24 hours," one placard read.

The memorandum will ask for an urgent parliamentary session to address what they call "quota discrimination" by making new laws or executive orders.

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU)  staged a protest march and solidarity rally this morning, condemning the attacks on students and the filing of cases against them during ongoing protests demanding quota reform in government jobs.

The march began at 11:30am at the JU Central Library and traveled through various parts of the university, culminating at the main gate, reports our JU correspondent.

Following the march, the students held a solidarity rally in front of the main gate beside the Dhaka-Aricha highway.

Two university teachers attended the rally, expressing their support for the students' movement.

Earlier, students from different institutions in the capital gathered with DU students at the central library as per their previous announced programme.

The protesters demanded the withdrawal of a case filed by police, giving a 24-hour ultimatum and denouncing the case as "false and fabricated."

Addressing a press conference at Dhaka University yesterday, Hasnat Abdullah, a student of the university and one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, said they will submit the memorandum to the President, requesting an emergency session in the Parliament to resolve this issue.

He said their peers in districts will also hand over memorandums to respective deputy commissioners for placing them to the president.

The ongoing student strike to boycott classes and examinations will continue, he added.

Students at public universities and colleges, along with jobseekers, have been demonstrating against the quota system in government jobs for the last two weeks. They occupied key city intersections, major highways, and rail lines.

The protests began after the High Court on June 5 ruled that the 2018 government circular abolishing the quota system was illegal, effectively reinstating the quota system. The government appealed against the decision, and the Supreme Court has issued a status quo on the HC order.