'Bangla Blockade' ends, to resume Monday

University students from different public institutions have ended their blockades across major parts of the capital for Sunday, and would again enforce the move at 3pm Monday.

Nahid Islam, a key figure in the movement against quota reinstatement in government job recruitment, announced the decision from a huge gathering at Shahbagh intersection at 8pm Sunday.

During Nahid's announcement, students also revealed that four other organisers of the protest had rejoined them following "consultations with authorities." Around 7pm, some unidentified members of law enforcement agencies picked up the organisers for the consultations.

Monday would mark the eighth straight day for university students to block at least one key transportation route within the country as part of the anti-quota movement, and the second day in a row in the countrywide blockade movement.

On Sunday, almost all the major routes around the University of Dhaka (DU) inlcuding the intersections at Shahbagh, Fakirapool, and hotel InterContinental were blocked, and later students moved further ahead to block the Bangla Motor intersection.

The blockades lasted for about four hours.

Earlier, blockades started at Science Lab and Nilkeht intersections lasting for about five hours. Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University also blocked some key roads in Agargaon.

In Old Dhaka, students of Kabi Nazrul Government College held demonstrations causing severe traffic gridlocks in Tantibazar and Rai Saheb Bazar areas.

The blockades and subsequent traffic congestions have caused major public sufferings in the capital, in many cases increasing travel duration along some key routes by four times, and in other cases forcing commuters to stay stuck on the same spot for hours.

One private job holder named Naim Islam said he started off for Shahbagh area from his home in Agargaon at 10am in the morning. Even though, he rode on his own motorbike, a convenient option for saving time in traffic gridlocks, he reached his destination after two hours, sharply up from the 25-35 minutes it take to go to the same spot.

Many people coming into the capital from outside Dhaka district also reported facing hours of tailbacks before getting on the Mayor Hanif Flyover, due to a blockade enforced on the Fakirapool intersection.

On Sunday, for the first time in the seven-day protest, blockades were imposed on almost all the major roads and highways adjacent to a public university.

To tame the worsening crisis, Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain said the protesters have to be patient and await the final verdict from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, as the government has no say in the matter.

Earlier, students rejected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s remarks addressing the movement. On Sunday morning, during an event at her official residence Gono Bhaban, the PM said the students’ movement against quota system is irrational as there is no alternative to the Supreme Court’s say on the matter.

For the time being students are needlessly wasting their valuable study time, she said.

Students are claiming that the constitution allows privileges in public service recruitment only for backward communities and does not specifically refer to the offspring of freedom fighters and others benefitting from the existing quota system.

In this respect, the High Court’s 5 June decision on the matter itself violates constitutional provisions, the students have alleged.

Blockades outside Dhaka city

Students of Jahangirnagar University blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway after starting a procession from the university’s central library at 11am.

Touhid Siam, a student of the Department of International Relations and joint coordinator of the JU branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, “We need to prepare for a prolonged movement. We want to let the state authorities know that if we resort to intense protests and this leads to secondary exams being postponed, or business suffering losses, the state will be held responsible.

“There are groups trying to undermine our movement, but we will not give them that opportunity,” he said.

In Barishal, students of Barishal University (BU) blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway adjacent to the main gate of the campus at 3pm.

Students of BM College joined their BU peers erecting barricades near the Central Bus Terminal in Barishal city in the afternoon. They displayed placards and national flags and organised a cricket match at the site.

In Chattogram city, students of Chittagong University (CU) and different other educational institutions blocked roads at the 2 Number Gate area in the afternoon.

In Gopalganj, students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway for an hour from 6pm.