Hundreds of students from Rajshahi University today blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi railway line for four and a half hours today to protest the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs.

They withdrew the blockade around 4:00pm, a correspondent from the university reports.

The train communication of Rajshahi with the north zone and the rest of the country was disrupted during the period following the blockade.

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Quota protest: RU students block tracks on Dhaka-Rajshahi rail route

Abdul Karim, station manager of Rajshahi Railway Station, confirmed the development.

The students began the protest by bringing out a procession from the university's Paris Road. They then moved around different academic buildings before reaching the railway line, which they blocked at 11:30am, adjacent to the university.

Earlier in the morning, Ahasan Ullah Bhuiyan, chief operating superintendent of Railway West Zone, said the rail line blockade has halted railway connections between the northern part and the other parts of the country.

Aman Ullah Khan, the coordinator of the quota reform movement, said, "We will announce the decision of tomorrow's movement after coordinating with other students tonight."

Mehedi Sajeev, another coordinator of the movement, said, "If our demands are not met, we will shut the entire Rajshahi."