Students give ultimatum for quota reform
DU Correspondent :
Students leading the movement for quota reform in government jobs have issued a stern ultimatum to the government, demanding immediate action to address what they term discriminatory practices.
Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the anti-quota movement, addressed the media near the Gulistan intersection after delivering a memorandum to the President at Bangabhaban on Sunday.
“It is not our intention to cause public inconvenience, but despite our efforts, we have not received any assurance from the government. We urge them not to push us towards a strike,” Nahid stated.
The movement, which has gained traction beyond Dhaka, saw students rallying on various campuses and surrounding areas, submitting memoranda to district administrators with unified demands for urgent legislative action to reform the quota system. They argue that quotas unfairly disadvantage merit-based students.
“We call upon the government to convene an emergency parliamentary session within the next 24 hours to pass legislation that eliminates these discriminatory quotas,” Nahid emphasised during his media briefing.
Earlier, a delegation of 12 students, accompanied by police officers, visited Bangabhaban to submit their memorandum directly to President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The military secretary received their demands on behalf of the president.
“We look to the President to champion our cause in Parliament and ensure swift legislative action in line with our demands. We expect concrete steps within the stipulated 24-hour period,” Nahid added.
The students have warned of further escalation, including potential strike actions, if their demands are not met promptly.
There were 8 students from DU in the delegation of 12 members. They were Nahid Islam, Sarjis Alam, Asif Mahmud, Abdul Hannan Masud, Rashidul Islam Rifat, Abdul Quader, Md. Mahin Sarkar, and Hasib Al Islam.
Apart from this, Arif Sohail of Jahangirnagar University, Mehrun Nisa Nidra of Jagannath University, Sumaiya Akhtar of Eden College, and Tauhid Ahmed Ashiq of Sher Bangla Agricultural University were present.
Meanwhile, while the delegations went to the Bangabhaban, other protesters were demonstrating on the road in front of the Gulistan shopping complex in the capital, which is around 350 metres away from the Bangabhaban.
While the students were chanting slogans in support of their demands and expressing their voices,.
Earlier, the students started to gather at the central library of Dhaka University at 11 a.m., and then they brought out a procession after 12 p.m. with more than 10,000 students under the banner of the ‘anti-discrimination student movement’.
Students from Jagannath University, affiliated with seven colleges and other educational institutions near the area, took part in the mass rally.
The protest rally moved towards Bangabhaban and marched through Shahbagh, Matshya Bhaban, and High Court Chattor, and then they faced a police barricade in front of Shikkha Bhaban. The students broke the police barricade and moved towards it.
Moreover, the agitators demonstrated at Zero Point in Gulistan for nearly half an hour as police put up a barricade on the roads. Later, the students broke the barricade again and moved towards Bangabhaban.
