Students at Dhaka University launched a fervent protest on Sunday night in response to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's remarks regarding the quota system, which they perceived as insulting.

Beginning at 10 pm, students from various dormitories chanted slogans and eventually marched towards Raju Sculpture.

During the demonstration, they used provocative chants referencing "Razakars," a term for collaborators with the Pakistani military during the 1971 liberation war.

Notably, female students also participated despite warnings from dormitory officials.

In a related development, three leaders from the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, resigned from their positions.

These events unfolded hours after Prime Minister Hasina questioned the rationale behind abolishing the quota system during a press conference, suggesting that its removal would benefit descendants of Razakars.

This comment appears to have further inflamed tensions and fueled the student protests.

Earlier, the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement, representing the protesting students, had given the government a 24-hour deadline to implement reasonable reforms to the quota system across all government job levels.

They have also requested an urgent parliamentary session to address their demands.

This announcement came after they submitted a formal memorandum to the president's military secretary at Bangabhaban.

In addition to quota reform, the protesters demanded that cases filed against them due to a recent incident in Shahbagh be dropped, claiming the accusations were false and fabricated.

A group of twelve student leaders entered Bangabhaban to present the memorandum. After the meeting, they expressed hope that the president would consider their demands, emphasizing their desire for a prompt resolution through parliamentary action.

The group included coordinators Sarjis Alam, Nahid Islam, Rifat Rashid, Hasib, Baker, and others.

Following the submission of the memorandum, coordinator Nahid Islam emphasized the “need for reforming the quota system through appropriate legislation” by the law department.

He expressed frustration that government intervention at an earlier stage “could have prevented the escalation of the movement.”

Nahid Islam called for an emergency parliamentary session within 24 hours to address their demands, stating they would monitor progress closely and announce further actions if necessary.

Sarjis Alam, another coordinator, conveyed that they had informed the president's military secretary about their stance: advocating for retaining the 5% quota for minorities and the disabled while abolishing the remaining quotas.

He expressed hope that the president would consider their requests seriously.

The protesting students also stressed that the quota system should be revised through proper legal channels and voiced their intent to monitor the situation closely and announce further actions if no tangible progress is made within the given timeframe.

In the complete text of its June 5th ruling regarding the 2018 circular that removed the quota system, the High Court emphasized that upholding the 30% quota for children of freedom fighters is mandatory for both the judiciary and the government, as this matter was already settled by the Appellate Division in 2013.

The High Court further declared that any violation of the Appellate Division's decision would be considered an act of contempt. This clarification was included in the full verdict, which was made public on Sunday.

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