Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of BNP, on Tuesday announced to stand by the common students, who are staging demonstrations across the country against the quota system in government jobs, to realise their demands.

Quader condemns attack on general students, BCL over quota reform protest

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, JCD president Rakibul Islam Rakib also strongly denounced the reported attacks on anti-quota protesters by the Chhatra League on different university campuses, including Dhaka University.

He said July 15 will remain as a black day in Bangladesh's history.

“The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal is promising to carry out street struggles, always standing beside the protesters of the quota cancellation movement from today (Tuesday)," he said.

At the same time, the JCD president called upon the students to come forward to build a society based on the real spirit of the Liberation War, equality, human dignity and social justice by removing the current ‘fascist and illegal’ regime which is the main source of the discriminatory quota system.

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He also announced that JCD will stage demonstrations in all universities and major educational institutions across the country on Wednesday in protest against the Prime Minister’s “derogatory’ comments against the demonstrating common students and attacks on them by BCL and police in different universities.

Replying to a question, Rakib said the JCD has been there beside the common students from the day they started agitation under the banner of the anti-discrimination quota movement. “But Chhatra Dal has no organisational involvement with this movement.”

“We would like to make it clear that the Chhatra Dal is totally with the students in this movement. But we have no organisational activities and involvement with the movement so that no one can this to a different direction,” he said.

Rakib said the JCD does not want to take any credit by involving with the common students’ movement. “We want this logical movement to yield a positive outcome. We also want the quota system to be abolished and demands of the students to be fulfilled through this movement against this discriminatory quota system.”

JCD general secretary Nasiruddin Nasir said the general students were cruelly and brutally attacked in different universities by the BCL.

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He deplored that even the injured students were beaten by BCL at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. “This is not only a violation of international law, but also a criminal offence.”

After the press conference, leaders and activists of JCD and BNP brought out a procession in front of the BNP central office protesting against the Chhatra League’s attack on common students.