Quota protest: Students block Shahbagh

For the third consecutive day, students blocked Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection around 11:45am on Thursday, protesting the High Court’s decision to reinstate the quota system in government jobs.

Around 11 am, students from various halls of Dhaka University began gathering in front of the Central Library. They then marched through the campus, culminating in a massive rally at Shahbagh intersection.

Some students reported that as they were leaving their halls to join the rally, activists from the Chhatra League at Masterda Surja Sen Hall locked the gate to prevent them from participating. However, the main procession proceeded to Surja Sen Hall, broke the lock, and freed the students to join the protest.

Earlier, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the protesters had blocked major highways and intersections in the capital, demanding the cancellation of the quota system.

During the rally, protesters declared their determination, saying, if needed, they will shed blood to realize their demand.

Earlier today, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the High Court order declaring the cancellation of the freedom fighter quota in government jobs as “illegal.”