Police disperse anti-quota protesters, over 100 hurt

Published : Monday, 9 April, 2018 at 12:00 AM Count : 1035

Police locked in clash while dispersing protesters who blocked Shahbagh intersection demanding revision of quota system in government jobs on Sunday evening. Photo: Ashik Mohammad

Police on Sunday dispersed agitating jobseekers staging a sit-in from the Shahbagh intersection leaving over a hundred injured, one critically.

Law enforcers lobbed tears gas shells and charged batons on the demonstrators at Shahbagh in the city and in Kushtia during blockade, claimed the convener of the movement.

A third-year student of Dhaka University received a rubber bullet injury to his left eye. He was admitted to a city hospital.

Two police personnel were injured during the clash between jobseekers and law enforcers. Some journalists and pedestrians also got injured in police attacks.

Earlier, tens of thousands of jobseekers and students across the country including the capital staged demonstrations demanding reform to the existing quota system in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and other government jobs.

Police also allegedly arrested some demonstrators from the demonstration while some of the injured protesters took primary treatment.

Agitating jobseekers blocked Shahbagh intersection, Rajshahi-Dhaka Highway, Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Chattogram-Dhaka Highway, Mymensingh-Dhaka Highway, Dhaka-Rangpur Highway, Dhaka-Tangail Highway, Dhaka-Dinajpur Highway and various important roads across the country causing massive public sufferings.

Students staged the blockades simultaneously across the country to press home their five-point demand under the banner of Bangladesh General Students Rights Protection Council. The movement started on February 17 this year.

Currently 56 per cent posts are allocated under quota system in the BCS and other government jobs. Of them, 30 per cent are for freedom fighters, their offspring, grand-children, great grand-children, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for backward districts, five per cent for ethnic minority people and one per cent for physically disabled people.

The five-point demand are: reduction of the existing quotas system to 10 per cent from 56 per cent, recruitment of jobseekers to vacant posts on the basis of merit if eligible candidates are not found under the quota, putting an end to special recruitment tests for quota candidates, a unified age limit for all jobseekers and scope for switching job under quota facility to another one only on the basis of merit.

The demonstrators demanded the parliamentarians discuss their issues.

"We will not leave until a specific declaration on the reformation to the existing quota system is tabled before the ongoing session in parliament," said Ujjal Mia, a Joint Convener of the movement.

Hasan Al Mamun, Convener of the movement told the Daily Observer: "We want Prime Minister's interference in reforming quota system and formation of a committee which will work on the reformation to quota system."

They also threatened that if the existing quota system was not reformed they would call boycott of class examinations at all universities and colleges across the country.

In the city, job seekers mostly from Dhaka University, Dhaka College and other universities and colleges gathered at DU Central Library at 2:00pm and marched through TSC-Nilkhet-Katabon Road before they put up a blockade at Shahbagh intersection.

They staged a sit-in demonstration there and it continued till 8:00pm. Then police lobbed tear gas canisters and charged baton to disperse them.

During the sit-in vehicular movement through Shahbagh and adjacent areas came to a standstill causing sufferings to city dwellers and office goers.

They created blockade by using coconut shells, bamboos, cars, human shield in front of Birdem and Bangabandhu Medical University.

Meanwhile, as part of the central anti-quota protest programme students of Jahangirnagar, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Comilla, Barishal, Mymensingh universities and colleges across the country also brought out protest processions on the their respective campuses, roads demanding the same.

The students of Jahangirnagar University blocked Dhaka-Aricha Highway as part of the ongoing agitation. Chittagong University students also blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway demanding quota revision.

Besides, Rajshahi University blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway and students of universities in Mymensingh also put up a barricade on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.

Dhaka-Dinajpur, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Rangpur and Chattogram-Rangamati highways were also were blocked.

Joint Convener of the anti-quota movement Muhammad Rashed Khan said the protesters won't rest until the government resolves their problems.

The government said job positions will be filled with candidates from merit list in absence of quota-candidate.

However, according to a Ministry circular, quota-position will be filled by only quota-candidate. It is contradictory to the remarks of the Prime Minister, he said.

In Kustia, Police arrested six demonstrators and lobbed tear gas shells and water cannon to disperse the demonstrators.

On March 14, Police detained around 50 jobseekers on charge of holding illegal rally and attacking on law enforcers during demonstration at High Court Chattar in the city.

Police foiled a bid of jobseekers to march towards the Public Administration Ministry to submit a memorandum demanding review of the quota system in the government recruitment examinations including BCS.