JU students block Dhaka-Aricha highway for two hours to demand cancellation of quota

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) have resumed their protests against the restoration of quotas in first and second class government jobs.

They blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway for two hours on Wednesday. The pre-planned action caused major traffic delays during the blockade from 3 to 5 p.m.

Earlier, they held a protest march from the base of the Sangshaptak sculpture in front of the university’s central library.

Road users were unsettled by the students who blocked the highway. Mohammad Saiful Islam, Member of Parliament (MP) from Dhaka-19 constituency, was among those stranded on the road towards Dhaka. Despite requests from his supporters to leave the car, the students refused to let him pass. He eventually drove to the Savar dairy farm along the Dhaka-Aricha highway. Faced with the continued obstruction, he walked for some distance and boarded another vehicle to leave the area.

The students formulated four demands:

1. Remove the quota system announced in 2018 and maintain recruitment based on merit.
2. Establish commissions to eliminate unreasonable and discriminatory quotas at all levels of government employment, taking into account only disadvantaged and backward groups in accordance with the Constitution.
3. Ensure that the quota system cannot be used more than once in government recruitment examinations and fill vacancies on the basis of merit if qualified candidates are not available.
4. Implement effective measures to ensure a corruption-free, impartial and merit-based bureaucracy.

Sharan Ahsan, a student in the Department of Theatre and Drama, noted, “Our constitution allows for a quota system to favour underprivileged, tribal or disadvantaged communities. However, if quotas prioritise those who are not underprivileged, they devalue genuinely talented and hardworking people, which can lead to a bureaucracy without merit.”

Towhid Siyam, a student of international relations, said: “Tomorrow, July 4, the Appeals Chamber will hear the case on the quota issue. This symbolic two-hour blockade serves as a warning to the government and state parties. If the decision is unfavorable, we will intensify our protests, which could lead to a nationwide blockade starting July 4.^th.”