Students of Rajshahi University (RU) demonstrated on the campus, for their 3-point demand, on Tuesday. They want the immediate publication of a gazette notification on the quota system.
At noon, they led a procession from the RU Central Library to different points of the campus.
Later, they held a meeting in front of the library.
They urged the government to publish the gazette notification immediately, withdraw false cases against the students, and ensure exemplary punishment for those who attacked quota reform protesters.
Masud Monnaf, convener of the quota reform movement at RU, and Islamic Department student, presided over the event.
He said, “We will attend classes once the gazette notification has been published.”
He urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to rapidly implement her announcement regarding the quotas.
In April, students of public and private universities across the country took to the streets demanding reforms to the quota system.
In the wake of the protests, the PM, during a parliamentary session on April 11, declared the abolition of quotas.
After the government failed to issue a gazette notification about the PM's announcement, the quota reform platform began an indefinite boycott of classes and examinations at all universities and colleges on May 14. They gave an ultimatum for the notification to be published by May 13.
On May 21, quota reform demonstrators postponed their decision to boycot examinations—considering the month of Ramadan and at the prospect of “session jams” the strike might have caused.
However, on June 26, the PM suggested the continuation of the existing freedom fighter quota in the civil service.
At present, 56 percent of government jobs are reserved for quotas, while the remaining 44 percent is drawn from applications on the merit list.
