Gazette on quota: Demonstrators call student strike tomorrow

Quota reform demonstrators will observe a two-hour strike at all the colleges and universities across the country tomorrow as the government failed to issue a gazette notification on abolishing quota system in public service by Thursday.

The strike will be observed from 11:00am to 1:00pm tomorrow, Hasan Al Mamun, convener of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, said.

They will also bring out processions on their respective campuses tomorrow, Hasan Al Mamun said while reading out a written statement at a press briefing at the Dhaka University Central Library around 10:30am.

Read more: Quota Scrapping: Tougher demo if no gazette by today

The protesters demanding reformation in the quota system in civil service on Wednesday threatened to wage tougher movement from Sunday if the government failed to publish a gazette notification to that end by Thursday.

Joint conveners Faruk Hasan, Nurul Haq Nur and Rashed Khan and Bin Yamin also talked at the briefing.

The issuance of the gazette notification is taking time as there is no official directive in this regard, Faruk said.

“The PM of the country does not need to give any separate directive after her announcement at the parliament” he added.

Nurul Haq warned of further tougher protests if the students’ demands are not fulfilled.

The protesters gave the ultimatum after Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam at a press briefing on Monday said there was no progress regarding the gazette abolishing the quota system as officials received no directive from the prime minister.

Earlier on April 26, the leaders of the quota reform movement threatened to launch fresh demonstrations in May for the gazette notification.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak met the leaders the next day and assured them that the government would publish the gazette once the prime minister, who was in Australia at the time, returned.

Following the assurance, the leaders of the quota reform movement postponed their agitation till May 7.

As the gazette was not published by the deadline, the protesters on Tuesday declared to resume demonstration, demanding immediate publication of the gazette.

In April, students of public and private universities across the country took to the street in support of the demand. charged batons and lobbed tear gas shells on the demonstrators on DU campus, injuring at least 163.

The protesters blocked key points in the capital and roads and highways elsewhere.

In the wake of mass protests by the students, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in parliament on April 11 declared that the quota system would be scrapped.

Quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and has been amended several times since then.