POBNEWS24, Dhaka July 17, 2024 : At least Six people lost their lives in different parts of the country in one day due to the ongoing quota reform movement. On Tuesday (July 16), police and Chhatra League leaders and activists clashed with the agitators at various places, which is still ongoing. Among those killed in the clashes, three died in Chittagong, one each in Dhaka and Rangpur. Among them, three students, one pedestrian and the identity of the other one was not known till the latest news
It is known that from 3 pm on Tuesday, clashes between Chhatra League and Jubo League started with the quota agitators in Muradpur, Gate No. 2 and Sholashar in Chittagong city. Three people were killed in the clash. The deceased were Wasim, Faisal Ahmed Shanto and Farooq. Wasim is a student of Chittagong College. He is a resident of Pekua area of Cox’s Bazar. Faisal Ahmed is a student of MES College, Shanta Nagar. The identity of the pedestrian Farooq is not known.
Meanwhile, an unidentified youth (25) was killed in a clash between BCL and quota activists on the opposite side of Dhaka College in the capital. On Tuesday (July 16) afternoon, the young man was brought to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital by a passerby. After examination, the doctor declared him dead. Also, one more person died in the capital in clashes between BCL. His name is not known. He was rescued from the city college in front of the capital’s city college and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the doctor declared him dead at around 7 pm.
Also, on the same day at around 2.30 in the afternoon, Abu Saeed, one of the coordinators of quota reform movement of Begum Rokeya University (Berobi) and a 12th batch student of English Department, was killed in a clash with the police in Rangpur. Abu Said is the son of Maqbul Hossain, a resident of Babanpur, Pirganj Upazila, Rangpur. The matter was confirmed by Asif Al Mateen, Head of Berobi’s English Department.
It is to be noted that while talking about the quota reform movement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina commented last Sunday, ‘Why is there so much anger about the liberation war? The freedom fighter’s grandsons will get nothing, Razakar’s grandsons will get everything? They assumed that they were called ‘granddaughters of Rajakar’. Therefore, the students of various educational institutions, including Dhaka University, started protesting from midnight on Sunday to demand the withdrawal of the Prime Minister’s comments and a one-point demand for quota reform.
Students of various public and private universities started blocking the road at 15-20 places of the capital from 11 am on Tuesday. Recently, BGB has been deployed in four districts including the capital Dhaka to control the overall situation.
The government has announced the closure of all the schools, colleges and polytechnic institutes of the country considering the safety of the students amid the movement demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs.
