Anti-govt job quota protests resume in parts of Bangladesh

Students of Dhaka College and nearby institutions blocked the road in the capital‍‍`s Science Lab area while hundreds of students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway near the university Wednesday morning to protest the reinstatement of the quota system for government jobs.

It comes as the anti-quota protesters resumed their Bangla Blockade programme to press home their one-point demand of a quota reform for government jobs, after a one-day pause.

The protests have already paralised vehicular movement across the capital, with office-goers and students left the worst victims.

In Dhaka city, the protesting students started marching from the campus grounds toward the Science Lab intersection around 10am.

The procession halted traffic movement around the area. 

Dhaka Universities students, who gathered around the central library premises at 10:30am, have reached the Shahbagh intersection at around 11:30am.

Meanwhile, traffic on other routes through Shahbagh has been halted due to the blockade.

Additional police force was seen deployed at the Bangla Motors signal area at around 11am.

The students started marching toward Farmgate around 11:30am.

Students of Bijoy Ekattor Hall and Jashim Uddin Hall of Dhaka University marched toward Matsya Bhaban around 12pm.

JU students started their protest march from the campus and took positions on the highway at Dairy Gate, Prantik Gate, and MH Hall Gate around 10:30am.

 They were chanting slogans for the abolishment of the quota system. They said they would continue this protest till their demands were met.

Meanwhile, the blockade caused significant traffic congestion, with hundreds of vehicles stuck on both sides of the highway.

In Khulna, students of "Baishamya Birodhi Chhatra Andolan" brought out an anti-quota procession near the Khalishpur Nabharasta intersection in the port city.

They blocked vehicles from plying the road and also halted a train on the nearby tracks.

Since 2 June, university students have been holding sit-ins, organising marches and blocking roads and highways, demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 quota cancellation circular.

The Appellate Division on Wednesday stayed the High Court order reinstating quotas in government jobs.