Abdur Rahman Khan
In the wake of a country-wide demonstration and clashes with the students the government finally succumbed to the pressure of general students and the job seeking youths.
Expressing apparent anger at the quota reform movement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday announced that there will be no quota system in government jobs anymore.
“The quota system is cancelled for stopping repeated sufferings (of common people due to movements) and avoiding repeated movements and disturbances. This is a clear word,” she said while responding to a supplementary question during the question-answer session in Parliament.
The Prime Minister said, “If we go for reform (of the quota system now), another one (group) will come up after a few days and say we want further reform.”
She said the question of reform will come if the quota system exists and there will be no problem of reform if it does not exist.
“So, there’s no need for having the quota system,” she said.
The Prime Minister, however, asked the students to find out who carried out the attack at the residence of Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman on April 8, where those looted goods are, and who is currently holding them’
She warned that “Detective agencies have already started investigating the matter and everyone involved with the incident will be held accountable.”
A people‘s victory
In an instant reaction to PM’s announcement, , BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed on Wednesday described the Prime Minister’s announcement to abolish the quota system in public service in the face of a students’ movement as ‘people’s victory’.
“The Prime Minister has announced that there’ll be no quota system in country as she could finally realise the intensity of the movement. They (govt) could also understand it’ll be difficult for them to stay in power if the movement continues,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, Moudud further said, “I would like to say it’s a victory of people while the government has suffered a defeat.”
A faction of Labour Party (Iran) arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club demanding deployment of army in the next general election.
Moudud, a BNP standing committee member, urged his party colleagues to get inspiration from the students’ movement to realise their rights. “We’ll also establish our rights the same way. We’ll also free Khaleda Zia through a mass movement.”
Terming justified the students’ demand for reform of the quota system in public service, he said the movement has reflected the outburst of pent-up anger of people and common students across the country. “The students also voiced their resentment against the way the country is run now.”
BCL swoops on agitators
For the past two months, Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad has been spearheading the nationwide movement demanding change in the quota system, claiming it excludes a large number of qualified candidates at a time of rising unemployment in the broader economy.
The quota reform movement received a major boost this week after violent tripartite clashes between police, Bangladesh Chhatra League and the demonstrators in Dhaka University (DU) campus between Sunday evening and early Monday injured more than 100 protesters.
On Wednesday, activists of pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) allegedly attacked the quota reform protesters at Jahangirnagar University injuring at least 15 people, including some female students.
Witnesses said around 30-40 BCL men, led by JU unit president Jewel Rana and general secretary Abu Sufian Chanchal, carrying sticks swooped on the demonstrators at the main entrance of the university while they were talking to JU VC Prof Farzana Islam and teachers’ representatives.
The agitating students alleged that BCL men Rafa, Mahbubur Rahman, Nahid, Nayem, Bayezid Rana, Apon and Riju attacked them during their peaceful agitation.
They claimed that 15 people, including two journalists and some female students, were injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, the demonstrators brought out a protest procession on the campus around 6:30 pm when they demanded expulsion of the attackers from the university.
JU Proctor Sikder Md Zulkarnine described the attack as unexpected.
According to an announcement from Bangladesh Chhatra League, the president of Dhaka University’s Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall unit of Chhatra League Iffat Jahan Isha had been expelled from the organization after it was revealed that she assaulted several quota reform protesters in the female hall.
Govt wesite hacked
Earlier, Some important government websites including President’s office, Prime Minister’s Office, Jatiya Sangsad were hacked yesterday night. The defaced pages showed several messages demanding reformation of quota system.
After the hacking, post has been given by ‘Bangladesh Black Hack Hackers’ with links of these on facebook page. It has been said that the websites have been hacked as part of the 360 degree movement for making reforms to the quota system.
The outage has hit websites of most of the ministries, including those of home, agriculture, finance, foreign affairs, housing and public works, land, planning, local government, commerce, road transport and bridges, and defence.State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak told last night that they were working to restore the hacked websites.
He claimed they have proof that the assault was carried out from a foreign country, but did not name any. “Some group did this premeditatedly,” he said, “We are trying to retrieve these sites,” he said. Palak also said there have been attempts to hack the National Portal for quite a few days.
The message posted on the hacked websites also showed a photo, believed to be of a lone quota reform protester waving the national flag amid teargas.
The protesters fought running battles with police and the ruling Awami League’s student affiliate Bangladesh Chhatra League on the Dhaka University campus overnight after being chased away from the busy Shahbagh intersection on Sunday evening. Clashes also took place in other universities as the protests spread.
During the early hours of Monday, while protesting in favour of quota reform, protesting students broke into the Vice-Chancellor’s residence and vandalized it. They had rods, hockey sticks, and bamboo sticks with them. The attackers broke almost every window in house and set surrounding vehicles on fire. However, no casualty was reported.
After a meeting with the government on Monday, the demonstrators said they postponed the programs until May 7. But hours before the cyber-attack on Tuesday, they said they would press on with the demonstrations when many of them did not agree with the decision to halt the programs.
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