Protesters reunite, announce non-stop strike

Protesters reunite, announce non-stop strike

Dhaka, Apr 10 (Just News): The protesters seeking reformation of quota system got reunited after a daylong division and called for general strike at all educational institutions across the country for indefinite period.

Rashed Khan, joint convener of Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Forum, made the announcement at a briefing in front of Dhaka University central library and reinstated their movement after finance minister AMA Muhith’s comment that quota system cannot be reformed before next budget.

The protesters said their movement would continue till their demands are met and sought a clear expiation from prime minister Shiekh Hasina on the issue.

They also condemned agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury’s remark in parliament where she branded the protesters as children of razakars and war criminals.

The protesters also burnt an effigy of Matia Chowdhury at Raju Memorial Monument in the evening protester against her comments in parliament.

Earlier in the morning, a divergent faction continued the quota reform movement at Dhaka University campus asking for the reform in a week time with the central platform of the quota movement already deciding to keep the movement postponed upon government's assurance.

The protestors of the faction started to gather at Raju Memorial Monument at noon on Tuesday.

They placed three-point demands including issuance of a written statement by the government accepting to reform quota within three days and complete all legal and paper works downsizing it from a whopping 56 per cent to 10 per cent within seven days.

The demonstrators also demanded written apology from agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury for her comments in parliament on Monday night.

Demonstrator protested the police attack on general students and questioned the role of media.

Arif Hossain Ali, a student of finance department of DU said that they will continue their protest suspending all the classes until fulfillment of their demand.

‘Our demand is not to repeal quota, our demand is to reform quota’, said he.

Several thousand students joined the protest. They staged a demonstration from Raju Sculpture to Shahbagh.

Meanwhile, earlier this morning protesters who were leading the movement for quota reforms in public service recruitment requested all to ignore the call of the divergent faction who were still continuing the agitation.

Rashed Khan, joint convener of Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Forum, came up with the request while briefing reporters in front of Dhaka University Central Library premises.

He alleged that a faction, from the beginning of the movement, was trying to spoil their programme.

Rashed also said that they have suspended their movement until May 7 following the assurance from the prime minister on quota reformation.

He also requested journalists not to cover any programme of the divergent faction as that might create confusions among people.

On Monday, the anti-quota demonstrators postponed their movement until May 7 following an assurance by the government to bring a 'logical reform' in the existing quota system.

The protesters also apologised for assaulting some journalists during Monday's protest.

Besides, the leaders of the forum also demanded an apology from Matia Chowdhury.

Meanwhile, central committee declared that they will join the demonstration again if Matia does not withdraw her remarks about the protesters by 5pm today.

At Monday's session in parliament, Matia Chowdhury termed the protestors as the children of war criminals.

Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology go out on demonstration on its campus on Tuesday.

Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology also went out on demonstration seeking reformation of quota system on Tuesday. They demonstrated at the university's Shahid Minar.

Meanwhile in Savar, students of Jahangirnagar University, who are holding demonstrations demanding reformation of quota system in civil service, have boycotted all classes and examination for three days protesting against the police attack on JU students, reports New Age correspondent there.

Armanul Islam Khan, convener of Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad of JU unit, has said that they have decided to boycott all classes and exams form Tuesday to Thursday.

He said that they took the decision at an emergency executive body meeting on Monday night as over 60 of their fellows were injured during police action on Monday afternoon.

Demanding the punishment of the policemen who were involved in the attack, the agitating student brought out a protest procession in front of the central library on Tuesday around 9:30am and paraded important points of the campus.

They also declared that they would announce Matia Chowdhury as persona-non-grata to JU campus if she did not withdraw her comment terming the protestor as son of Pakistan collaborator in the national parliament.

During the police action, JU proctor Sikder Zulkarnain was also injured.

The agitate students also brought out a protest procession on the campus on Monday night demanding the immediate punishment of the attackers.

JU Teachers Association in a press release condemned the police attack on students and demanded the immediate punishment of the policemen who were involved in the attack.

JU vice-chancellor professor Farzana Islam has extended her support to the demand of agitators and said she will place the student’s demands to the government.

Additional police forces have been deployed at the main entrance of the campus.

In Rajshahi, protesters, who were holding demonstrations at Rajshahi University demanding reformation of quota system in government jobs, split into factions on Tuesday.

The faction called Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad RU unit said that they had postponed their ongoing demonstrations following the direction of the central body.

On the other hand, the other faction, comprising of the left leaders and activists, declared that they would continue their demonstrations until their demands are met.

Around three hundred students gathered in front of the university central library at 10:00am and marched forward to the university main entrance.

As police, the university proctorial body, the leaders and activists of the ruling Awami Leagued-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League and the members of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad barred the protesters from blocking Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, the protesters split into two groups.

Later, the left leaders and activists hold a short rally in front of the university administrative building while the BCL leaders and activists roamed around a motorcycle procession on the campus, spreading a panic among the general students.

Later, the both factions hold separate press conferences on campus at noon to clear their stances.

In their press conference, Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad RU unit convener Masud Monnaf said that they had postponed their ongoing demonstrations following the direction of the central body.

They also urged the all students of the university not to hold demonstration separately, saying that they would not take any responsibility of the protesters who would continue the demonstration defying the central body’s decision.

In another press conference, Umme Kulsum Koni, one of the left leaders, declared that they would continue their demonstrations as the government did not clear it stance about whether it would meet their demands or not.

She also alleged that the BCL men assaulted and threatened them while they were trying to march toward the highway.

She also declared that they would hold class boycotting, rally and sit-in programmes today on campus.

RU proctor Md Lutfor Rahman said that if anybody try to create any anarchy on campus, they would take proper action against them.

He also said that the class would be held from tomorrow according to the scheduled.

Motihar police officer-in-charge Shahadat Hossain said that additional police were deployed to avert any unwanted incident on the campus.

Besides, the students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology brought out a rally on Dhaka-Natore highway pressing home their demand.

When they tried to take position on the road, police dispersed them, foiling their attempt to block the highway.
NSU quota Students of private universities go out on demonstration at Pragati Sarani, demanding reform of quota system in civil service on Tuesday. — New Age photo

Meanwhile, students of private universities in Dhaka on Tuesday took to the streets seeking for immediate review of quota system.

Students of East West University, North South University went out on demonstration for a few hours at Pragati Sarani in support of the cause.

In Shukrabad, students of Daffodil University came down in the Mirpur Road, interrupting traffic on the busy thoroughfare, with the demand. About 400 students joined the demonstration.

Students of Green University also formed human chain in front of its campus on Rokeya Sarani at Shewrapara.


(Justnews/ys/1900hr)