Students continued their protests against the existing quota system in government jobs for the ninth consecutive day on Tuesday by blocking highways at places in the country amid preparations for a bigger agitation programme.
The anti-quota protesters announced to hold a day-long 鈥榓ll-out blockade鈥� for today across the country to press home their demand.
Protesters said that they would block rail tracks and major city roads and highways from 10:00am.
鈥榃e will continue our 鈥淏angla Blockade鈥� programme like what we did in the past two days,鈥� Nahid Islam, one of the leaders of the anti-quota movement, said at a press conference on the Dhaka University campus in the evening, announcing the day-long blockade for Wednesday.
He urged the students to gather in front of the DU central library at 10:00am before they enforced their blockade programme at important city crossings.聽
Nahid said they would continue protesting until their demand was met.聽
He said that vehicles providing emergency services such as ambulances and media transport would remain out of the purview of their blockade.
The protesting students from Dhaka University and other educational institutions also distributed leaflets and campaigned online to engage more students during Wednesday鈥檚 countrywide blockade.
Though the protesters said on Monday that their activities on Tuesday would be limited to mobilising support for the programme online, students of several public universities and government colleges continued their agitation on the streets in different places under the banner of the Students Movement Against Discrimination.
Jahangirnagar University students blocked the聽 Dhaka-Aricha highway from 3:45pm to 4:15pm after a procession from the central library area, creating a long tailback.
Several thousands of Rajshahi University students brought out a protest procession and held a short rally on the university鈥檚 鈥楶aris Road鈥� at 3:00pm, 抖阴精品 Staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported.
Rajshahi Government College students also staged a sit-in by blocking the Rajshahi-Chapainwabganj highway from 12:00noon to 12:45pm.
Braishal University and BM College students blocked Dhaka-Barishal and Barishal-Kuakata highways, demanding the cancellation of a High Court order on June 5 that asked the government to reinstate 30 per cent job quotas for descendants of freedom fighters.
Meanwhile, the Appellate Division on Tuesday fixed Wednesday to hear a fresh petition that sought stay on a High Court verdict that directed the government to restore the quota for freedom fighters鈥� descendants.
The Appellate Division chamber judge, Md Ashfaqul Islam, set the schedule after hearing a petition filed by Dhaka University Journalist Association president Al Sadi Bhuiyan and another DU student, Ahnaf Sayeed Bhuiyan.
Anti-quota movement leader Nahid said that the petitioners were not linked to their movement.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to stay the High Court verdict that had asked the government on June 5 to restore freedom fighters鈥� quota in the civil service.
Welcoming the student鈥檚 move to the court, law, justice, and parliamentary affairs minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday hoped that the Appellate Division would ensure justice after hearing all sides.聽
鈥業 will not say anything about it because it鈥檚 a subjudice matter,鈥� Huq told reporters at the secretariat.
Students from different colleges, including Dhaka College and Eden College, partially boycotted the pre-announced exams and classes.
Nazmul Hasan, a coordinator at Dhaka College in the anti-quota movement, said that they had largely boycotted classes and exams on Tuesday.
鈥榃e are holding online campaigns and meetings to make the programme successful,鈥� he said.聽
Dhaka College principal Mohammad Yusuf warned that students would be affected by boycotting classes and exams as they are now affiliated with DU.
鈥業f anyone skips an in-course exam, the student will risk missing a year,鈥� he said.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all 56 per cent quotas鈥�30 per cent for freedom fighters鈥� descendants, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for ethnic communities; and one per cent for physically challenged people鈥攊n the civil service following student protests.