Students demanding reform of quotas in public services on Saturday announced a country-wide programme of submitting memoranda to the president, in spite of reiteration of warnings by the authorities and filing of a case against protesters by the police.

Roads and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Saturday that day the government will not do anything about reforming the quota system until the Appellate Division gives a verdict on the issue. Besides, the police declared to take tough actions against the quota protesters if they create chaos.

Students protesting in Dhaka will march towards the president’s office to submit a memorandum calling for an emergency session in parliament to dissolve the discriminatory quota system by passing a law, announced the protesters at a press conference under the banner of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement at Dhaka University’s central library area on Saturday.

A mass rally will be held in front of Dhaka University’s central library at 11:00am today. Students of Dhaka University (DU), Jagannath University, seven colleges affiliated with DU, and other educational institutions located in Dhaka will take part in it, said Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the movement, while announcing their next programme.

“The ongoing students’ strike boycotting classes and examinations will continue,” he added.

The students outside Dhaka will send memoranda to the president through the respective districts’ deputy commissioners, said sources.

How the movement to continue

The central coordination committee of the quota reform movement gave 10-point instructions to the protesters in all universities, colleges and districts to continue the movement.

The instructions sent by Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the movement, asked protesters in different areas to organise activists and conduct the movement in an orderly manner by forming coordinating committees. It also asked not to keep politically questionable and controversial people in the committee, to keep alternative leadership ready, to maintain order and conduct peaceful and non-violent programmes, to cooperate with the members of the law enforcers without compromising, and to organise large gatherings collectively.

In a press conference at Madhur Canteen on Saturday, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain said after the Supreme Court issued a status quo, ordinary students have returned to classes, but a vested quarter is still trying to catch fish in the muddy water in the name of movement.

Chhatra League will conduct “Policy Advocacy” and a “Door to Door” campaign to know what students think about quota.

Protesters demand withdrawal of case

At the rally in Dhaka University on Saturday evening, the protesting students termed the case filed by the police against unnamed agitators “false” and demanded its withdrawal within 24 hours.

Khalilur Rahman, a driver of Rajarbagh Police Lines’ transport section, filed the case with Shahbagh police station against “unidentified” students on Friday on charges of vandalising police vehicles, assaulting police officials, and attacking policemen during the ongoing quota reform movement.

The case statement said there was a pre-announced programme of the quota protesters on 11 July. Accordingly, many “unidentified” students assembled in front of Dhaka University’s central library.  Around 4:00pm, they paraded the streets of different halls chanting various slogans and proceeded towards the Shahbagh intersection.

At one point of the protest, the agitators crossed the Shahbagh intersection, forming an illegal assembly that caused riots and obstructed policemen from doing government duties. They broke through the police barricade at Shahbagh and clashed with the police officials, resulting in injuries to on-duty policemen.

As the protesters moved towards Hotel Intercontinental, senior police officials attempted to bring them back to Shahbagh intersection. Then the agitators surrounded APC-25 and a water cannon parked near the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), behaving in an aggressive manner. They forced the water cannon driver out and vandalised the vehicle, causing damage estimated at Tk5 lakh. This included breaking two SS stands in front of APC 25, the radio antenna, the rear wheel guard, and the left-side mirror of the water cannon, said the case statement.

A general diary was subsequently filed with Shahbagh police station. The case statement further mentioned that despite efforts by senior police officers to de-escalate the situation, the agitators became more violent, throwing water bottles, table tennis balls, and bricks at the police, resulting in injuries to many police officials.

The situation worsened as some “unidentified” students from Jagannath University joined the protest at Shahbagh, chanting slogans and hurling abuses towards police personnel. They broke open a barricade near the BIRDEM Hospital gate and injured more policemen.

Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the quota reform movement, said, “The government is making plans and preparations to suppress the movement by using police, student wing of the ruling party, and others. But the government should have discussed with the students from the beginning and reformed the quota system through visible steps. We want to say that such a plan of the government could not spoil the protest.”

At Friday’s rally, he also said, “The police said during our protest on Thursday there was no damage and we have a record of it. That is why we are demanding accountability from the police regarding the sudden filing of a case against unidentified people.”

‘Police will be strict’

 If the anti-quota agitators cause damage to property, tough actions will be taken against them as per the law, said Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police Chief Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid.

Urging the agitators to comply with the court order, he told reporters at his office on Saturday, “We will do what the law has permitted us.”

Harun said, “The Supreme Court has given a stay order of four weeks. The Supreme Court is our place of trust. We should follow it. If someone disagrees, they can go to the court and express their opinion. But some students are obstructing the movement of people by blocking the road due to this.

“Many people are damaging cars. A case has also been filed. If someone thinks that they will not obey the court, the High Court, the police, then what else can we do? If they damage property, and do not allow people to move on the roads, then we will do what is logical.”

Govt will not do anything before verdict: Quader

 Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the government will not do anything about reforming quotas before the Appellate Division announces a verdict.

After a meeting with teacher leaders at the Awami League president’s political office in Dhanmondi on Saturday, Quader said, “Capitalising on the students’ emotions, a cabal is conspiring to destabilise the state.

“A force that failed in political movements rode the quota movement of 2018. They also rode the road safety movement. They are trying to create a negative attitude among the students regarding the country’s history, and the values of the Liberation War. We want to believe in the power of youth.”

Asked what action the government will take if the agitators cause public suffering, Obaidul Quader said the matter is under trial, there is no scope to go beyond the law. Law will take its own course. The government will not do anything about reforming quota before the Appellate Division’s verdict.

‘No scope of forming committee for quota reform’

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat on Saturday said quota is needed to eliminate discrimination and after the verdict of the Appellate Division, there is no scope for the government to form a commission on quota.

At a press conference on contemporary issues at the Dhaka District Awami League office at Tejgaon in the capital, Arafat said, “Due to ignorance about the quota, the agitators are making different demands from time to time. Knowing everything, they demanded a solution to the quota problem through the Executive Branch, but court matters cannot be resolved through the Executive Branch. This time they have demanded a solution to the quota problem in parliament.”

The state minister said the government is thinking positively about the quota, but the students agitating against the quota are misleading the people by repeatedly changing their demands.

Movement should be stopped: Home Minister

 Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has opined that the ongoing movement of students demanding quota reforms should be stopped.

After inaugurating various development projects of the Mymensingh District Police on Saturday, he said, “I think they (students) should wait a little and stop the movement, because there are quotas everywhere in the world.

“All countries have some backward areas. We have quotas for ethnic minorities just like the constitution dictates it. If it is cancelled, they will never be able to come into the mainstream of society. We think that everyone can move together.”