'Ghosts of anti-liberation forces conspiring with quota protestors'

Law Minister Anisul Huq has said he believes students, who have been protesting  quotas in government jobs, will accept the Supreme Court's directive and return home, warning that the government will be forced to take action otherwise.

The minister was speaking to journalists at Akhaura railway station in Brahmanbaria, his constituency, on Friday morning.

Warning the protesters, the minister said It is the government's responsibility to look after the people's lives and properties. If anyone causes any serious disruption, the government will take action according to the law, he said.

"The ghosts of the culprits who opposed Bangladesh's independence and conspired to kill 17 members of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's family are involved in and conspiring with the quota movement," he added.

Students and job seekers have been holding demonstrations across the country for some time demanding quota reform.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a status quo of four weeks on the issue of quotas, instructing the protesters to return to their classes and attend their exams.

Expressing their disappointment, the protesters rejected the order, announcing their intention to remain on the streets until their demand was met.