Protests resume on DU campus

Quota reformists once again took to the streets on Dhaka University campus yesterday, two weeks after Chhatra League activists swooped on a procession of teachers and students demanding release of detained quota reform movement leaders on July 15.

Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, the platform that spearheaded the movement, demonstrated to press home their three-point demand including immediate release of their activists from jail.

Their other demands include punishment of the attackers of teachers and students on campuses of different educational institutions, and reform of the quota system in the civil service in line with their earlier five-point demand.

The students' platform also backtracked from their earlier call for boycotting classes.

Around 400 students, under the platform, brought out a procession from the Central Library premises at 11am.

They also observed one minute of silence in honour of two students who were run over by a bus on Sunday.

After the procession, the group held a brief rally at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture. 

Speaking at the rally, Nurul Haque Nur, a joint convener of the platform who was injured in an attack carried out by BCL men at DU on June 30, said, “We will continue our peaceful demonstrations until the gazette notification on bringing reforms in the quota system is published.”

“We called off our agitation following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's announcement on the abolishment of the quota system, but since then there has been no progress in this regard. Rather, we have been frequently attacked by the activists of the ruling party's student wing,” Nur said.

“We are not giving any further protest programme for the time being, but we will paralyse the country if there are any more attacks,” he said.

The committee for quota review has sought 90 more days to “review, reform or cancel” the quota system in the civil service, on which Nur said that this is nothing but procrastination as the tenure of the present government will end by then and the government won't be able to pass any necessary legislation in this regard.

DU PROCTOR ASKS BCL NOT TO ACT AS “AUTHORITY”

DU Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani yesterday asked BCL leaders not to consider themselves “authority”.

He said this when a group of BCL activists -- led by leaders of the body Saifur Rahman Sohag and SM Jakir Hossain went to the proctor's office to discuss the ongoing situation on campus.

They alleged that the quota reformists did not take permission to hold any programmes, and asked him to take actions against them. In reply, Prof Rabbani said the university would run as per its law, and asked them not to think of themselves as the authority.