The anti-discrimination student movement will hold a ‘complete shutdown’ program in Bangladesh today to protest the attack on the quota reform activists.
The announcement was made via a post on their Facebook page at 7.55pm on Wednesday (July 17).
Asif Mahmud, the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, said in a statement on Facebook, “We are announcing a ‘complete shutdown’ tomorrow, July 18, to protest against the police, BGB, RAB, SWAT attacks on the students’ peaceful movement, to protest the murders, to prosecute the murderers, and to ensure a terror-free campus.
He said that not only hospitals and emergency services will not open the doors of any institution, but no vehicles will ply on the road except for ambulances. I am calling on every school, college, university, private university, madrasa students across the country to make Thursday’s program a success.
This coordinator of the movement said, I am telling our parents, we are your children. Stand by us, protect us. This fight is not only for the students, but for the vast masses of the country regardless of party affiliation. Anti-discrimination student movement.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular canceling 10 percent women’s quota, 30 percent freedom fighter quota and 10 percent district quota in government jobs in the face of violent student protests across the country. It was said that direct recruitment to the posts of 9th to 13th grade should be done on the basis of merit. The existing quota for direct recruitment in those grades has been abolished.
Seven students, including Ahidul Islam, the president of the generation command council and the son of the freedom fighter, challenged this circular and wrote a writ. In view of this, the High Court declared the circular issued on June 5, 2018 as invalid.
Since then, students from various universities across the country have flocked. The anti-quota protestors protested against the restoration of the quota. Apart from DU, protests were held in various reputed colleges of the country including Jabi, Jabi, Rabi, Sat colleges.
Among these, bloody clashes and attacks took place in various places of the country including the capital, especially in educational institutions, last Tuesday. At least six people were killed. Among the dead are three in Chittagong, two in Dhaka and one in Rangpur.
Meanwhile, all the universities of the country have been declared closed for an indefinite period so that the situation does not deteriorate further. On Tuesday night, the University Grants Commission (UGC) wrote to the Vice-Chancellors to instruct all universities in the country to remain closed until further notice. All resident students are also directed to vacate the hall.
