Students holding demonstrations for quota reform held a protest rally and march at Dhaka University on Monday afternoon demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina renounce her statement about their movement.
The protest, under the banner of Students Against Discrimination, came in response to the prime minister’s question a day earlier about if the grandchildren of freedom fighters did not get jobs, would the grandchildren of Razakars get them.
The demonstrators claimed that the remark had demeaned those advocating for quota reform.
Sarjis Alam, a DU student and a coordinator of the movement, said a 56% quota in public sector jobs did not align with a developed Bangladesh or the spirit of the Liberation War.
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“The Prime Minister's direct and indirect comments yesterday have disappointed us."
He added that the protesters had presented all their demands to the executive and legislative branches, placing their trust in the prime minister for implementation.
However, her recent comments had undermined that trust, Sarjis said.
"Regardless of how we are framed, our goal is a rational reform of the quota system. We did not come to [DU] to fight at the Raju Memorial Sculpture in the scorching heat; we came here to study. The government must ensure we can return to our studies," he emphasized.
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Addressing the media, Sarjis expressed his trust in the press to present the truth but criticized a few journalists for compromising the profession.
He called for an end to "yellow journalism" and urged the media as a whole to stand against it, claiming that a few culprits were tarnishing the reputation of the entire journalism community.
Earlier, from around 11:30am, students from various dorms of DU gathered at the Raju Memorial Sculpture, chanting slogans for nearly an hour.
Students from Eden College attempted to join the protest but were initially blocked by female leaders of Chhatra League at the entrance. The students broke the lock and, along with students from Dhaka College, joined the protest around 1:15pm. At 1:30pm, students from (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) Buet also joined the rally.
Protesters chanted slogans like "Who is the Razakar? You are the Razakar!,” "The country liberated with the blood of millions is not anyone's inheritance,” "Who am I? A Razakar?” and "We asked for rights, ended up being Razakars.”
Previously, at 11am, students from Dhaka Medical College expressed solidarity with the quota reform movement by briefly assembling at the Central Shaheed Minar, joining the rally at the Raju Memorial Sculpture half an hour later.
The protest rally ended around 2:15pm, with the protesters marching towards the residential halls.
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