Protesters occupy Shahbagh for quota restoration
A group of protesters blocked Shahbagh intersection on Wednesday night demanding restoration of the reserved jobs after the abolishment of quotas in top government jobs, reports bdnews24.com.
The protests by Muktijoddhar Sontan Command, an organisation of freedom fighters’ children, blocked the Shahbagh intersection in the capital on Wednesday night after the cabinet abolished quotas in class I and II government jobs.
They demand restoration of 30 percent seats reserved for the descendants of freedom fighters in government jobs.
The Bangladesh Council to Protect General Students’ Rights, which organised demonstrations against the quota system, welcomed the government’s decision, but said they wanted reforms to quotas, not abolishment.
They also reiterated their demand for justice for attacks on them during protests.
The quota system allowed the government to preserve 56 percent posts in jobs under different quotas: 30 percent for families of freedom fighters, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for disadvantaged districts, 5 percent for small ethnic groups and 1 percent for people with disabilities.
Students and jobseekers have been protesting against the system, demanding that the total jobs preserved for different quotas be brought down to 10 percent.
When the quota reform protests peaked, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told parliament on Apr 11 that she would rather see the system go.
Later, the government formed a committee to review the quota system and the panel recommended abolishing quotas in class I and II government jobs. Hasina chaired the meeting that cleared the committee’s proposal.
Muktijoddhar Sontan Command has been demonstrating for a few days demanding that the quota for them be kept in government jobs.
About 100 members of the group gatheed at Shahbagh around 8:30pm on Wednesday after a protest march on the Dhaka University campus.
Their demonstration blocking the streets in the key intersection created gridlocks.
“We don’t accept this cabinet decision. The 30 percent seats for freedom fighters’ children must be kept in government jobs,” Sheikh Atiqur Babu, president of the organisation, said at the demonstration.
He also announced a rally for Saturday afternoon.
“Our programmes will continue until the cabinet revokes its decision,” the organisation’s Dhaka University unit General Secretary Al Mamun said, bdnews24 concluded.
