Despite numerous warnings from various quarters, hundreds of students and job seekers have persisted in their protest against the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs, marking the tenth consecutive day of their movement.
The protestors, rallying from the Central Library of Dhaka University, faced police attempts to thwart their march near the Faculty of Fine Arts. Undeterred, the demonstrators broke through police barricades and positioned themselves at the Shahbagh intersection at around 5pm.
Protest coordinator Sarjis Alam stated, "We have been demonstrating peacefully for the restructuring of the quota system, but the police tried to foil our movement. We will continue until the government provides a permanent solution."
At Jahangirnagar University, students started a blockade programme, ignoring the police's warnings. JU students began gathering in front of their central library at 2:50pm, staging a protest march and blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway with no clashes.
Ministers' reaction
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, warning the protesters, urged them to accept the court's directive, saying, "We will listen to the demands of students… law enforcers are also aware of it. But they (students) are crossing the limit. Police will not sit idle if they cause the public any suffering."
"The students should respect the court's decision."
Additionally, Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain claimed that a vested group that does not want the betterment of the country is instigating the anti-quota movement.
DMP requests, BCL warns
DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Ops) KH Mahid Uddin stated that the Supreme Court's status quo on the High Court order reinstating quotas invalidates the protest's logic. He warned of legal action if protests continued to block roads, emphasising the police's accountability to city commuters and respect for the law.
He urged the protesters to avoid causing public disruption, stating, "We have sympathy and love for the students, but we must be respectful to the court."
"We are bound by our pledge," he said while briefing reporters at the DMP media centre on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), warned that they would stand against anyone who attempts to disrupt the progress towards Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Smart Bangladesh by holding the country's students and education system hostage in the name of a movement.
BCL President Saddam Hussain on Thursday made the statement at a press briefing at Madhur Canteen, Dhaka University, saying, "Some are trying to use the movement politically, and the Chhatra League is ready to face them."
Protests outside Dhaka
Meanwhile, protesters allege that at least 20 people, including both students and policemen, have been injured as the police force cracked down on the protesting students of Comilla University.
Sources confirmed that the protesters were chanting slogans against the police in the Ansar Camp area near the university, leading to a scuffle with the police, resulting in the policemen charging batons and the demonstrators' response of throwing chunks of bricks at the policemen. Later on, police used tear gas on the students, injuring four protesters, including two campus correspondents of popular news outlets.
