Demo postponed till Sunday on minister's assurance

Protesters demanding reinstatement of 30 percent freedom fighters' quota in civil service have postponed their agitation till Sunday, following assurance from Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan that their demands would be met by then.

The minister visited the protesters at Shahbagh intersection around 7:00pm yesterday. He asked them to postpone their blockade till October 14 and assured them of fulfilling their demands by the date.

“We have taken to the streets to uproot the anti-liberation forces from the country and would do so through continuous protest,” he said.

Complying with his request, “Mutijuddho Moncho”, the platform spearheading the protest, postponed their countrywide blockade and declared to wage a tougher movement if their demands are not met.

Agitators under the banner of Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command, Chattogram also brought out a procession in the area. Photo: Star

Earlier, the protesters continued their demonstrations in and outside Dhaka for the fifth consecutive day yesterday.

At Shahbagh, the protesters sat in the middle of the intersection and put up barricades around 6:00pm.

In Chattogram, agitators blocked Dhaka-Chattogram highway in City Gate area near the city around 11:00am. A few hundred youths blockaded the entry point to the city, halting vehicular movement for half-an-hour.

In Tangail, freedom fighters and their family members formed a human chain in the afternoon under the banner of Tangail unit of “Muktijuddher Chetona Bastobayon Mancha”.

Later, they went to the deputy commissioner's office and submitted a memorandum.

Meanwhile, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur unit of “Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command”, an organisation of freedom fighters' children, formed a human chain in front of the university around noon.

The speakers alleged that the decision of scrapping quota system is a conspiracy against the freedom fighters. They said it is their “constitutional right” to enjoy 30 percent quota privilege.

PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE STAGE DEMO

Around 50 physically challenged people, under the banner of “Bangladesh Pratibandhi Shikkharthi Oikya Parishad”, demonstrated at Shahbagh in the afternoon.

They staged a sit-in on a road and reiterated their seven-point demand, including reservation of 5 percent quota for class-I and class-II jobs, and 10 percent quota for class-III and class-IV jobs.

They said they would continue their protest until their demands are met.

'RETAIN INDIGENOUS QUOTA'

Demanding 5 percent quota for class-I and class-II jobs, a group of indigenous people held a press conference at Dhaka University's Madhur Canteen around 11:30am. They urged the government to retain indigenous quota in civil service.

 “Adivasi Quota Sangrakkhan Parishad” organised the event.

 “Achieving good results is an uphill battle for indigenous students due to a lack of qualified teachers and poor school facilities in the hilly areas,” said William Nokrek, coordinator of the platform, while reading out a written statement.

An indigenous student in the hilly areas should not be compared to a student in Dhaka. It would not be wise to push the indigenous community into an “unequal competition” by scrapping quota privileges, he said.

“The quota reformists had demanded reformation, not abolishment and some lawmakers had also extended their support to retain indigenous quota,” he added.

At Rajshahi University, around 30 indigenous students under the banner of “Adivasi Chhatra Parishad” staged a sit-in in front of the university around 6:00pm, blocking Dhaka-Rajshahi highway for an hour.

The platform will stage a protest rally at 4:00pm today at the base of Raju memorial sculpture and block roads at different places across the country.

On October 4, the government issued a circular abolishing the quota system for class-I and class-II jobs in the civil service.

According to the circular, recruitment in grade-9 (class-I) and grade-10 to 13 (class-II) at all government departments, autonomous or semi-autonomous institutions, and various corporations will be based solely on merit.

Until the abolishment, about 56 percent of government jobs had been reserved for candidates from various quotas. Of this, 30 percent were reserved for freedom fighters' children and grandchildren, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for people from underdeveloped districts, five percent for members of indigenous communities and one percent for physically challenged people.