C T Online Desk: Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway for the seventh day of their demonstration demanding the scrapping of the quota system in government jobs and restoration of the 2018 circular.
Hundreds of students gathered in front of the university’s central library at 10:30am on Sunday.
Later, the students took out a procession to the main gate adjacent to the Dairy Gate via the Shaheed Minar of the university.
According to the pre-announced time of the Bangla Blockade program, important points and highways were to be blocked simultaneously from 3pm to 6pm across the country, but the time of the blockade program was brought forward by four hours in honour of the religious program Ratha Yatra.
Arif Sohel, convener of the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement, said: “We have come to know that if the Dhaka-Aricha highway is blocked during the planned time, the Ratha Yatra, a religious festival celebrated for 400 years, will be disrupted as the event starts from Dhamrai.”
“We will end our blockade program at 1pm,” he said.
On Saturday, after blocking the Shahbagh intersection for one hour, the students and government job aspirants lifted their blockade and announced a new program called “Bangla Blockade”, scheduled to begin at 3pm on Sunday.
Every intersection and important road across the country will be blocked as part of the “Bangla Blockade” initiative.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the High Court’s verdict that declared the decision to cancel the quota system, including the first and second-class freedom fighter quota in government jobs, illegal.
On Friday, the High Court declared illegal the circular that canceled the quotas, including those for freedom fighters, in first and second-class government jobs.
As a result, the 30% quota for freedom fighters in government jobs (grades 9 to 13) will remain in place.
Following the High Court ruling, various discussions and criticisms emerged on social media. Additionally, protests and demonstrations took place in several locations, including Dhaka University.
