Habibur Rahman Munna.
Students of Comilla University blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in protest against the reinstatement of quota system in government jobs.
The blockade program was held on Thursday (July 4) from 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, there was a heavy traffic jam on the highway. As of this writing, the students’ protest program is ongoing.
Earlier at 11:30 am students of the residential hall and mess gathered at the university roundabout. After that, as per the pre-arranged program, when they started their journey towards Bishwaroad, they were stopped by the police. Later he stayed at Kotbari Bishwa Road through the road adjacent to Mainamati Museum.
The blockade took place in protest against the High Court’s verdict regarding the cancellation of the 2018 circular in government jobs and the reinstatement of the quota system. The students held this program under the banner of ‘Anti-discrimination student movement, Comilla University’ to demand the retention of merit-based recruitment in jobs.
Around four to five hundred students started chanting slogans. They said, ‘There is no room for discrimination in Bangabandhu’s Bengal’, ‘Equality of opportunity is the key to liberation war’, ‘Equality of opportunity is the key to freedom’, ‘Remove 40% railway quota and protect railway resources’. , ‘Let the quota system be abolished let the talented be free’ etc.
Regarding the protest program and road blockade, Abu Raihan, a student of public administration department, said, “We will protest if the quota system is not abolished.” Those who killed Bangabandhu in 1975 are sitting in Parliament today. They want to destroy Bangabandhu’s dream of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abolished all quota systems in 2018. But why this quota today? Quota system should be abolished in all government jobs.
Ariful Islam, a student in the Department of Anthropology, said that if you look at the history of Bangladesh, you will see that rights were not obtained without struggle. Hence our highway blockade today. Where is the basic right in a free country if you don’t get a job with merit? We gained freedom by taking to the streets due to discrimination during Pakistan. Even today we are victims of that discrimination.
Sohag Hossain, a student of Bengal department, said, “Today we have come to Rajpath because the High Court has ordered that the quota system will be reinstated.” There will be a 56 percent quota across the board. If this quota is maintained then meritorious students will not get chance. Unemployment will increase in the country. Our movement is against this discrimination. Our movement is not against any particular group or community. Dhaka-Chittagong highway is of special importance throughout the country. We want to send a message to those who are leading the upper echelon. If they don’t cancel the system, we will protest harder and harder.
Additional Police Superintendent of Comilla Sadar Circle. Kamran Hossain said that even if the highway was blocked for a minute, the message went to the government. In that case, the government is aware of the student’s demand. Students should leave the place to alleviate the suffering of people We are in discussion with the students in this regard.
University Proctor (Acting) Kazi Omar Siddiqui said that the university administration fully agrees with the demands of the students. Dhaka-Chittagong highway is the busiest highway in Bangladesh. So the administration is trying to get them to leave the place as soon as possible.
