RU students lock down administrative building demanding ward quota cancellation

Students of Rajshahi University (RU) have locked down the university's administrative building indefinitely, demanding the cancellation of the ward quota system.

The protest, led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, began at 10am today (2 January), following an earlier announcement.

At around 9:45am, students gathered in front of the administrative building and asked everyone inside to leave. However, administrative staff remained inside.

The protesting students locked the building's gates at 10am.

Salahuddin Ammar, a coordinator of the RU branch of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, "The movement demanding [removal of] quotas led to the change of a government of the country. Yet, the Rajshahi University administration has maintained an illogical nepotistic quota. The movement will continue until it is completely abolished."

The protest follows an announcement by the university's public relations department on yesterday (1 January) afternoon, which stated that the ward quota for children of teachers, officers, and employees would be reduced from 4% to 1%.

This decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the admission committee presided over by Committee President Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib.

However, students rejected this reduction and announced their plan to lock the administrative building during an emergency press briefing yesterday night.

In a written statement, Salahuddin Ammar reiterated their demand for the complete cancellation of the ward quota. He warned that the building would be locked from 10am if the administration did not meet their three demands by 9:50am today. Students were also urged to boycott classes and join the protest.

Ammar further stressed that the movement was rooted in the ideals of the July Revolution, which called for a logical reform of the quota system.

He criticised the administration for maintaining what he described as an "illogical, illegal quota" in the admission notice for the 2024-25 session.

RU students have been protesting for the last month demanding the removal of the dependent quota.