Thousands of students and government job aspirants blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka for an hour this afternoon, demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 circular that abolished the quota system in government jobs.
After staying at Shahbagh from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm, the protesters announced plans to block all roads in Bangladesh tomorrow (7 July), terming it the 'Bangla Blockade.'
Nahid Islam, a student of the Sociology Department of Dhaka University and one of the organisers of the protest, announced their next activities.
Nahid Islam said, "The 'Bangla Blockade' programme will be organised from 3 pm tomorrow. Students of all colleges and universities will blockade Shahbagh, Science Lab, Chankharpool, Neelkhet, and Motijheel in Dhaka city. Students outside Dhaka will blockade the highways in the districts."
The students announced plans to boycott classes and exams starting tomorrow.
Hundreds of Dhaka University (DU) students first gathered in front of the DU central library at 2:30 pm, taking out processions from various halls. They marched through Memory Eternal Chattar, TSC, Bakshi Bazar, BUET, Eden College, New Market intersection, and Nilkhet intersection, ending at TSC. Upon reaching the Shahbagh intersection, they broke through police barricades and occupied the area.
The blockade has resulted in significant traffic congestion, with long tailbacks forming on the roads among Bangla Motor, Shahbagh, Science Lab, and Kakrail. During the procession, protesters chanted slogans including "Quota or merit, merit merit," "The essence of the Liberation War is equality of opportunity," "No place for discrimination in Bangabandhu's Bengal," "No place for discrimination in the Bengal of the Liberation War," "Spread the word across Bengal, bury the quota system," and "One demand, one goal, no more quota."
The protest was sparked by a recent High Court decision declaring the government's 2018 cancellation of the 30% quota system for the heirs of freedom fighters in civil service jobs of ninth to 13th grades (first and second class jobs) illegal.
Until 2018, 56% of posts in government jobs were reserved for various quotas. These included 30% for the children of freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for districts, 5% for minority groups, and 1% for the disabled. In response to student agitation, the Cabinet recommended abolishing quotas in first and second class jobs, opting instead for a merit-based system. On October 4, 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular amending the existing quota system for first and second class government jobs. However, the quota system was maintained for third and fourth class jobs.
