Adivasi Quota Songrokkhon Parishad has brought out a rally in front of the National Museum to protest abolition of quotas on Thursday.
They also brought out a protest rally at the Dhaka University campus on Thursday afternoon demanding that their five percent quota privileges for government jobs, should be retained for backward areas of the country.
William Nokrek, joint-coordinator of the platform also announced to create a blockade in the Norda area of Gulshan on Friday at 3pm to press their demand.
Addressing the rally in front of the National Museum in the capital’s Shahbagh area, William Nokrek also said the decision to abolish quota privileges for ethnic minorities was "unconstitutional" and they would engage in legal battle to retain their rights.
Expressing solidarity with ethnic minorities, Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan, said that quota protesters never demanded a complete abolition of quotas. Rather, they always sought logical reformation but the government has shown disregard for backward sections of the country.
Earlier on Wednesday, beneficiaries of the freedom fighter quota blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka to protest the government’s decision to scrap the existing quota system – designated for them – in first and second class government jobs.
Muktijoddhar Santan Command and Muktijoddhar Paribar – both organizations of 1971 freedom fighter descendants – also gathered at the Shahbagh intersection on Wednesday night, and blockaded the busy road.
Traffic came to a halt following the initial protest.
They blocked the intersection hours after the government decided to abolish the quota for top government jobs.
They demanded the reinstatement of the 30% quota privilege for family members of freedom fighters.
The demonstrators also announced that they would organize a Shahbagh rally at 3pm on Saturday.