Quota reinstatement: Barisal University, BM College students hold blockade program
9 JULY 2024
Anisur Rahman Swapan / Publish : 09 Jul 2024, 08:38 PM Update : 09 Jul 2024, 08:38 PM
Highways, roads blocked for extended periods amid adverse rainy weather
Students allowed ambulances carrying patients to pass
Students block a highway in Barisal on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
Students of Barisal University held an anti-quota blockade on the Barisal-Kuakata highway, while BM College students blocked the Barisal-Dhaka highway on Tuesday.
As a result, Barisal city came to a standstill, with highways and roads blocked for extended periods amid adverse rainy weather.
This movement disrupted the road communication system between the southern region and other parts of the country, causing significant inconvenience. Passengers and various road transports were jammed on both sides of the highways for a long time.
BU student movement coordinator Sujoy Shubo said the students organized an agitation gathering in front of the campus on Tuesday noon, blocking the Barisal-Kuakata highway for three hours. They later held a torch procession on the highway at night, demanding the cancellation of the quota system.
Meanwhile, students of Government Brojomohun (BM) College blocked the Barisal-Dhaka highway at Nathullabad from 11am to 2pm, demanding the abolition of the “discriminatory” quota system in government jobs. They peacefully protested by playing mobile ludo, cricket, and volleyball while sitting on the vacant road.
During the blockade, the students demanded the cancellation of all “discriminatory quotas” except for those for disabled individuals and backward ethnic groups. Common passengers and pedestrians suffered due to these programs.
However, the students allowed ambulances carrying patients to pass but prevented the movement of vehicles carrying Shahab Ahmed, the general secretary of Mehendiganj upazila Awami League, and Shammi Ahmed, the reserved seat member of parliament for the Barisal-4 constituency, according to Huzaifa Rahman, a student of BM College.
Participants of the movement said that although the country was liberated through the Liberation War in 1971, the quota system still carries signs of Pakistani exploitation and discrimination. They emphasized that the government job recruitment process should be conducted based on merit.