The compulsory written examinations for the 46th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) have been postponed amid hunger strikes and intense protests by students demanding reforms to the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Md Zahirul Islam Bhuiyan, a member of the PSC, announced the decision in front of the protesters. Before the decision, The exams were scheduled to be held in May 8.
Local government, rural development, and cooperatives ministry adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, Public Service Commission (PSC) representatives Mohammad Aminul Islam and Mohammad Nazmul Amin were also present at that time.
Addressing the demonstrators, Asif Mahmud said that a committee of senior government officials, including Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, had been formed to initiate reforms to the PSC.
Following assurances from the adviser and PSC members, the protesting students ended their hunger strike.
The protesting jobseekers, however, demanded a written notification of the postponement within 24 hours.
They said they would continue their movement until all their 8 point demands were met and announced a mass gathering on Monday at 5;00pm at the base of the Anti-Violence Raju Memorial Sculpture.
Md Bin Yamin Mollah, president of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, and an participant in the protests, announced the programme.
Earlier on Sunday evening, a group of jobseeking students blockaded the Shahbagh intersection from around 6:30pm to around 8:30pm bringing traffic to a halt, to press home their demands for PSC reforms.
Later Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, an adviser to the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with a delegation from the Public Service Commission (PSC), sat for discussions with the protesting students at the Dhaka University Journalists鈥� Association鈥檚 conference room.
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