Students and job aspirants on Wednesday blocked the railway line in Dhaka as part of their protest demanding the abolition of quota system in first- and second-class government jobs, halting the train communication.
Students from various educational institutions blocked several roads and railways from the morning of the third day of the Bangla Blockade program.
In the morning, students blocked several important roads, including Shahbagh, Science Lab, Banglamotor, Farmgate, Agargaon, and Mohakhali in the capital.
Around 12:30pm, they were seen protesting by placing wooden logs on the Karwan Bazar railway gate and Mohakhali rail crossing, halting train communications between Dhaka and the rest of the country.
Kamalapur railway police station Officer-in-Charge Fardous said: "Around 12:30pm, the quota reformist students blocked the railway by placing wooden logs. We arrived here quickly to prevent any untoward incidents."
The OC said that due to the blockade, train communication between Dhaka and the rest of the country is temporarily halted. However, they are trying to normalize the train operations quickly.
In the afternoon, at Karwan Bazar and Mohakhali railway gate areas, it was seen that the quota reformist students were blocking the railway by placing various wooden logs and bamboo on the tracks.
Additionally, they had blocked the railway crossing gates with barricades, stopping any vehicles from passing through. However, they were allowing ambulances and vehicles carrying patients to pass.
The protesting students said that according to their pre-announced program, the railway blockade was carried out on Wednesday.
They also said that the movement would continue until their demands were met and that the movement would gradually intensify.
Nusrat Jahan Tisha, a student of the Social Welfare Department of Dhaka University, said: "Our logical movement must be accepted. Why should there be so much discrimination in government jobs in an independent country? According to the constitution, the quota system is to uplift the disadvantaged. However, the government is pushing the entire nation back."
Protesting students also blocked various important roads in the capital as well as the Dhaka-Aricha highway and various other roads and highways across the country.
