RUET, JU students block highways for quota reform

Asianbangla, Dhaka :

Thousands of students today blocked two major highways — Dhaka-Rajshahi and Dhaka-Aricha highways — as part of a countrywide demonstration demanding reforms of the quota system in government service recruitment process.

Leaders of Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad yesterday called for a nationwide road blockade and strike at universities and colleges from today.

The blockade and strike will continue until their demands are met, they said yesterday.

Dhaka-Rajshahi highway : The Dhaka-Rajshahi highway remained blocked since morning as several hundred students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) blocked it in front of the university’s main gate demanding reforms of the quota system in government services recruitment process, our Rajshahu University correspondent reports.

Vehicles on the highway are using the Nawdapara- Belpukur bypass road instead, the correspondent said.

Around 200 students of Varendra University (Private) brought out a procession on the same highway and joined with the RUET students, the RU correspondent said.

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 students were staging a demonstration before the Rajshahi University main gate. Students keep joining the demo.

They staged a sit-in on the Dhaka Rajshahi highway, and blocked the vehicle movement there. Earlier at 100:00am they organised a procession from the Central Library premises of the university.

They were parading different roads of the campus chanting slogans in favour of their demands and denouncing the “derogatory remarks” of Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury.

Some students of Rajshahi College have joined the RU demo, as they failed to organise a demo at their campus, in face of their campus unit BCL leaders, the correspondent said.

Students of North Bengal International University (Private) also gathered there to demonstrate on the same issue.

Most of the classes and examinations were boycotted by the students.

Additional polices were deployed in the campus to hold the demonstration inside the campus, but the demonstrators made it outside and blocked the highway.

University transport services remain closed today. Our Jahangirnagar University correspondent reports, around 1,500 students took position on Dhaka-Aricha highway in front of their main gate since 10:30am, halting traffic movement on the highway. The presence of female protesters has increased remarkably, our JU correspondent reports from the spot.

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