Staff Reporter:
A five-km long tailback has been created on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway as the students of Cumilla University put up barricades on the highway, demanding the cancellation of the quota system in government jobs.
Many vehicles were seen stranded till 4pm on Thursday on both sides of the highway, inflicting woes on the commuters.
Rashed Ibne Nur, a student of the university’s Bangla department, said the quota system needs to be abolished and by keeping the 30% quota for freedom fighters, the government is undermining the meritorious students.
Tofazzal Hossain, a bus driver, said he started his journey from Kotbari in Cumilla to go to Dhaka but he failed to move a single inch due to the protests.
Kamran Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Cumilla, said law enforcers, including DB police, were deployed to tackle the situation.
Meanwhile, the students of Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh railway for hours for the second consecutive, protesting the High Court order over the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs.
Rail communication between Dhaka and Mymensingh remained suspended till 4pm due to the blockade programme.
The students of BAU blocked the railway at Jabbarer intersection after halting the Jamalpur-bound “Jamalpur Express” from Dhaka around 1:15pm.
They also brought out a protest procession on the campus around 12:30pm.
Iran Mia, a student of Faculty of Animal Husbandry, said the movement will continue until the restoration of the 2018 circular abolishing quota.
The students of Rajshahi University put up a barricade on the Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway around 10:30am, protesting the High Court order over the reinstatement of the quota system.
They also brought out a procession from Paris Road on the campus and gathered at the main gate of the university amid rain.
They also chanted different slogans protesting the quota and placed four-point demands, including abolition, of the quota system.
Vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended for three hours till 1:30pm following the protest.
Besides, students blocked Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection around 11:45am on Thursday for the third consecutive day.
