Barisal University (BU) students blocked the Dhaka-Barisal highway on Sunday, protesting the High Court’s decision to reinstate the quota system in government jobs.
Over 500 students demonstrated on the highway from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm, causing significant traffic disruptions and inconvenience to passengers.
Following the blockade, students organized a protest procession along the highway and later held a rally in front of the administrative building.
During the protest, speakers including Sujoy Shuvo, Sibat Ahmed, Bhumika Sarkar, Anika Sarkar, and Mrittunjoy Roy voiced their demands. The students chanted slogans, calling for the abolition of all discriminatory quotas except those for ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
Protester Bhumika Sarkar stated, “Our main demand is to end the quota system. We are also calling for the removal of unnecessary quotas, like the 30% for freedom fighters.”
Simultaneously, students from Government Brojomohun College, Barishal held a separate protest march and formed human chains on campus and nearby roads.
Yusuf Hossain, a student from BM College, remarked, “A 56% quota system is not suitable for education and job appointments in any country. Jobs should be secured through hard work, not quotas. The quota system doesn’t benefit our nation and mocks our talented individuals.”
The High Court’s ruling on Wednesday ordered the retention of a 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs, overturning a circular issued on October 4, 2018, that had abolished the quota system. The circular had mandated that direct recruitment in all government jobs from 9th to 13th grade be entirely based on merit.
