FFs’ children, physically-challenged students continue protests

FFs’ children, physically-challenged students continue protests

Dhaka, Oct 5 (Just News): Descendants of freedom fighters continued their protest for the third consecutive day on Friday, demanding retention of freedom fighters’ quota while a group of physically-challenged people started fresh demonstration protesting at abolishing their quota.

As per their previous announcement, the newly formed platform of the protestors, Muktijuddha Mancha, postponed their blockade for nine hours until 3:00pm on Friday upon request from home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

The home minister met the protesters around 9:00pm on Thursday and requested them not to block the road today since it would cause students sitting for the medical colleges’ admission test to suffer.

The protesters gathered at Shahbagh intersection after 3:00pm and started their agitation, putting up barriers at the intersection and halting traffic in the adjacent roads.

Talking to journalists, Aminul Islam Bulbul, one of the protesters, alleged that by scrapping the freedom fighters’ quota in Class I and II jobs, the authorities insulted the freedom fighters.

‘The agenda of anti-liberation forces has been implemented through the decision, made upon the recommendations of the cabinet secretary. We want the freedom fighters’ quota reinstated and will not leave the streets until our demand is met,’ he added.

The agitation for the third day caused the traffic to go haywire, putting the commuters, especially the holiday makers, in trouble.

Hundreds of vehicles were stuck in long tailback and many of them, heading for Science Lab, Farmgate and Motijheel, were seen diverting the route.

Spokesperson of the platform DU professor AKM Jamal Uddin announced postponement of the program considering DU’s 51st convocation from Saturday 12:00am to 12:00pm.

Meanwhile, under the banner of Bangladesh Pratibandhi Shikkharthi Oikkya Parishad, around 50 physically-challenged people staged a sit-in on Shahbagh-Science Lab road.

They also placed their seven-point demand, including five per cent quota privilege in Class I and II job for them, which was one per cent before the abolishment and ten per cent quota in Class III and IV jobs in civil service.

Ali Hossain, convener of the platform announced the same program at the same place on Saturday from 3:00pm.

He said that they would continue our protests until the demands were met and the gazette notification abolishing quota was withdrawn.

On October 3 afternoon, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam in a briefing at the secretariat said that the cabinet on the day endorsed a proposal of the secretary-level committee for scrapping quota system in the recruitment of Class I and Class II civil servants in the wake of months-long quota reform movement by students and job seekers.

Hours after the announcement, FFs’ children began the protest at Shahbagh demanding retention of 30 per cent quota for them.


(Justnews/ys/2310hr)