Quota Movement: Three leaders sent to jail after remand

A Dhaka court yesterday sent three leaders of the quota reform movement to jail on completion of their two-day police remand.

The leaders are Faruk Hassan, Jashim Uddin Akash and Moshiur Rahman, joint conveners of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, a platform that spearheaded the quota reform demonstrations.

Faruk and Jashim had no lawyer for them, while for Moshiur his counsel Rezaul Islam filed a bail petition.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury rejected the bail petition and ordered to send them to jail.

Jashim and Moshiur were shown arrested in a case filed for the attack on the Dhaka University vice-chancellor's residence and Faruk was shown arrested in another case filed for attacking police and vandalising vehicles during the quota movement on     April 9.

Earlier on Tuesday, the trio were taken on two-day remand each.

Among other leaders of the platform, some central quota reform leaders were allegedly picked up by members of Bangladesh Chhatra League and handed over to police. Later, they were shown arrested in different cases filed in April, although their names were not included in the first information report (FIR).

Joint Convener Muhammad Rashed Khan was detained by police on July 1 in connection with an ICT case when the government went offensive against the quota reform demonstrators. He was first placed on five-day remand in that case.

Later he was shown arrested in another case filed for ransacking the residence of the DU VC in April and now he has been placed on 10-day remand.

On June 30, Nurul Haq Nur, another joint convener of the platform, was beaten up by some BCL men. Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was allegedly denied treatment.

While under treatment at a private hospital, he was allegedly forced to leave at the dead of night on July 2.

Earlier in April this year, students of public and private universities across the country took to the streets demanding reforms in the quota system.

In the wake of their protests, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in parliament on April 11 announced that the quota system will be abolished.

After the government's failure to issue a gazette notification to that end, the quota reform platform on May 14 started an indefinite boycott of classes and examinations at all universities and colleges.

They also issued an ultimatum for publication of the gazette notification by May 13.

On May 21, they postponed their decision of boycotting examinations considering the month of Ramadan and possible “session jam” caused by the strike.

However, on June 26, the PM suggested continuation of the existing freedom fighter quota in the civil service.

In a latest development, the prime minister on Thursday in parliament said it is not possible to reform the freedom fighters' quota in public service due to a High Court verdict.