Students hold anti-reservation protest in Bangladesh

A massive protest in Bangladesh was organized, where students gathered in huge numbers to protest against the order of the High Court. This order overturned the government’s 2018 decision to abolish the quota system. They demanded the abolishment of the quota system.

Thousands of students came down the streets of Dhaka on Thursday and protested by blocking the Shahbagh intersection and some of the major highways. Students have boycotted the classes and organised sit-in protests since this week against the reinstatements of quota.

The protest intensified after the 4th of July when an appellate division of the Supreme Court upheld the decision to restore the 56% quota in government jobs.

Out of the 56 per cent reservation, 30 percent of jobs are reserved for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters (which has been the main highlight of the protest in Bangladesh), 10 percent of jobs are reserved for women, 10 percent for people from underprivileged districts, 5 percent for Indigenous communities, and 1 percent for the physically challenged. Protestors in Bangladesh are demanding the abolition of all quotas in government jobs, except for the 1 percent quota for people with disabilities.

The Dhaka University students hosted a march around the university and then blocked the intersection for 6 hours, disturbing the traffic of the capital.

A protest of a similar decree was held by the students across Bangladesh in April 2018, which forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to abolish all quotas. Following the abolishment the PM stated that she wouldn’t let this abolishment affect the people from indigenous communities and the physically challenged, and some other measures would be put in place to benefit them. 

Dhaka University Students Lead Protest March

The 2018 protest was sparked by major irregularities in the quota system as the merit-based job selection almost lost its relevance and undeserving people benefitted from it. Major instances of fake certificates also triggered the movement.

The High Court officially ruled out the government’s order of April 2018 against a petition filed against the circular in 2021. However, the government has challenged the HC’s verdict in the appellate division of the Supreme Court.

A six-member bench of the Supreme Court’s appellate division led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan refused to force a stay in the High Court’s order on July 4. They instructed the government to submit a separate appeal once the full text of the June 5 High Court order is released.

However, the protestors do not want to wait for the outcome they demand the Awami League government to nullify the High Courts verdict by issuing a fresh circular reinforcing the abolishment of the quotas.

Protestors are backed by many academics and prominent civil society leaders who believe in meritocracy. The protesters have announced that all the university students across the country will boycott classes on 6 July and examinations scheduled for 7 July.

Till now the government has not spoken on the protest. Meanwhile, the Chhatra League (the students’ wing of the ruling Awami League) has attempted to pause the protest.

You might also be interested – India and Bangladesh commit to free Indo-Pacific, USA expresses support