This is shocking and alarming that students protests against quota system in public employment have taken a turn for the worse after a number of young lives have been lost prematurely and several hundred injured in sporadic violent clashes across the country.
Following a comment which was seemingly misunderstood by the students, the Dhaka University campus on Monday became a battle ground when anti-quota protesters were encountered by the members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League. This has intensified the protests spreading to other public and private universities throughout the country.
Until Monday, quota protesters had been staging peaceful demonstrations to press their demand since July 1 through enforcing a Bangla Blockade in major intersections causing severe traffic congestions across the city with little or no response from the government side to placate them with promises that this protracted issue will be solved amicably through negotiations.
However, the government has cited it as a sub judice matter and apparently maintained hands-off policy on the very critical issue of quota system which was abolished by the government in 2018 amid protests by job-seeking students. But it came back to the fore when High Court Division in a verdict on June 5 reinstated quotas in government jobs.
As a matter of fact, the government appealed against the HC verdict and the Appellate Division in a rule on July 10 asked all the concerned parties to observe the status quo on the HC order for one month and fixed the hearing on the issue on August 7.
This suggests that the government is acquiescent to students demand and willing to reform quota system in accordance with the countrys constitution which was not justifiably followed when it was abruptly scrapped in 2018 resulting in the creation of the current untoward situation.
What is worrying now is that by taking advantage of the on-going students protests, some anti-liberation forces have reared their head to fish in troubled waters. This is why there were slogans like "Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar" chanted in the Ruqayyah Hall of the Dhaka University.
Moreover, there have been some visible incitements from some vested quarters especially from the leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), lending their moral support to the protesting students.
This is why it is clear that there is an attempt to turn the anti-quota agitation into an anti-state and anti-government movement by exploiting the sentiment of young students. This has been said by the Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud with a strong warning that the government will not allow evil forces to cash in on the anti-quota movement.
We urge restraint from all the concerned parties including government agencies, Chhatra League and the protesting students in order not to let the situation worsen further.
