Rajshahi University employees went on a day-long work absention this morning to press home their demand for reinstating the five percent ward quota.
As a result, transportation, security, and medical services in the university remained halted, along with utilities like electricity and water. No examinations scheduled for today has taken place either.
Hundreds of employees gathered in front of the university's Buddhijibi Chottor around 9:00am to demonstrate. According to protesters, the programme will continue until 4:00pm.
Speaking at the demonstration, Muktar Hossain, acting president of the Rajshahi University Officers' Association, said employees of all other government and autonomous institutions have this facility, whereas they cannot.
"Isn't that discrimination?" he said, adding, "We are not considering this ward quota as 'quota'; it's our institutional facility. We will return to work tomorrow as a meeting will take place with the officers."
The employees started their protest after the university authorities, in the face of student protests, abolished the ward quota. They organised a two-hour-long sit-in programme yesterday, while a human chain was formed the day before.
Source: Daily Star