Students from Jagannath University staged a protest rally in response to what they claimed was "police brutality" against students nationwide during the ‘Bangla Blockade’ on Thursday.

They joined this rally spontaneously even on holiday, calling for the abolition of all unjustifiable quotas in government jobs.

The demonstration began in the afternoon in front of the university’s Arts Building. The students marched from the campus, circling Victoria Park, and then gathered at the main gate of the campus. The protest caused huge traffic disruptions in the Sadarghat area.

During the rally, students chanted slogans such as, “Quota or Merit, Merit Merit,” “Why the Brutality at Comilla University ? We Want Answers!” and “Spread the News Across Bangla, bury the Quota System!”

Zakaria Islam, a student of the mathematics department of the university, stated, “We will continue our movement on the streets until our demands are met. We will not leave until the government abolishes all forms of unjustifiable quotas and enacts a law in Parliament to ensure that quotas are only used for the underprivileged communities as specified in the Constitution.”

Masud Rana, a student of the Physics department, said, “We are protesting for a legit cause, the abolition of all unjustifiable quotas in government jobs. However, we have witnessed violence against our fellows at various universities during the peaceful protest. We demand that those responsible for these attacks be quickly identified and brought to justice.”

The students of Dhaka University also held a protest rally and blocked the Shahbagh crossing on Friday afternoon.

Abu Baker Majumdar, one of the key organisers of the protests, said they will announce the next programme in their movement on Saturday.