Demonstrators demanding reforms to quotas in public service have announced a fresh programme for Wednesday as the official order scrapping the system is yet to be published.
The Council for the Preservation of Bangladesh General Students’ Rights — the platform which has been leading the protests said that human chain demonstrations will be held across colleges and universities in the country on Wednesday.
In news conference on the Dhaka University campus, Nurul Huq Nuru, a joint convener of the Council, read out a written statement.
“On Apr 9, the government told us a gazette will be published by May 7 and on Apr 11, the prime minister announced to scrap the entire quota system. We have suspended demonstrations, but the gazette notification is yet to come,” he said.
Accusing the government of ‘playing tricks’, Joint Convener Rashed Khan said: “It has been 27 days since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s announcement. The gazette was supposed to be out yesterday, but the government is delaying it.”
He blamed the administration of harassing demonstrators.
Replying to a query Nur echoed his fellow demonstrator. “Intelligence agencies are being used to harass our families.”
The demonstrators’ announcement comes after Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told the media on Monday that there were no updates on the matter.
Amid protests by students and job-seekers demanding reforms to quotas, Hasina announced the quota entire system will be scrapped.
According to the existing system, the government keeps a quota of 30 percent for the families of freedom fighters, 10 percent for women, 10 percent for various districts and 5 percent for minorities and 1 percent for disabled people.
On Apr 26, the quota protest leaders warned of taking to the streets once again if a gazette notification was not published by May 7 (Monday).
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