A group of students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) have embarked on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the complete abolition of the ward quota in university admissions.
On Sunday at 11:30am, seven students initiated the strike in front of the new administrative building under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
The protesters have vowed to continue their strike until their demands are met.
Student protester Nadia Rahman Annesha said: “The movement for quota reform in 2024 aimed at rational restructuring. We demanded the abolition of all unjust quotas. However, following the uprising, we witnessed university administrations—who took office on the blood of martyrs—betraying their sacrifice by maintaining the unjust ward quota. This is why we are staging this indefinite hunger strike. We will continue until our demand is fulfilled.”
Nahid Hasan, joint secretary of the JU branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said: “We are striking to completely uproot the irrational quota system in the university. In the 2024 mass uprising, our fundamental demand was that merit alone should determine our worth, not quotas. However, it is disgraceful that such an unjust quota system still exists at JU even after the uprising.”
Nazmul Islam Limon, another protester, added: “We took to the streets to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh. Many sacrificed their lives and suffered injuries. Yet, we see that the ward quota still exists in universities, preventing many meritorious students from gaining admission despite securing higher marks. There is no justification for retaining the ward quota in the post-uprising era.”
When asked about the movement, Touhid Mohammad Siam, secretary of the JU branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said: “The unjust ward quota is still in place at Jahangirnagar University. We have long demanded its complete abolition from the administration. Since this quota has no rational basis, we do not believe it needs reform—we demand its total elimination.”
