Students of different universities in the country continued their protests for the second consecutive day on Monday demanding that the exiting quota system in public service be reformed.

They boycotted classes on Sunday, staged demonstrations to press for their demand and protested the police action on job-seekers and students in Dhaka, reports the UNB.

Students at Dhaka University boycotted their classes and gathered in front of the Central Library and Raju Sculpture.

When they started staging demonstrations burning bamboos and tyres on the streets, a chase and counter-chase took place with police.

The protesters held a rally at on the TSC premises from where they threatened to launch a greater movement until their demand is met.

They also warned that a wave of fire will be spread across the country if those arrested during Sunday’s protest are not released by Monday.

Rashed Khan, joint convener of Sadharan Chhatra OdhikarSangrakkhan Parishad (Bangladesh General Students’ Right Protection Council), came up with the warning in front of the Dhaka University Central Library.

He said general people, students and job-seekers across the country will get involved in their movement.

Jahangirnagar University students took position on the Dhaka-Aricha highway in front of the university’s main gate in the morning.

At least 60 people were injured when police charged baton, lobbed teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse them from the highway.

At Rajshahi University, students shut the main entrance of the university and the bus service on the campus.

They staged demonstrations on the campus since the morning. However, they did not take to the street unlike Sunday.

The students also brought a procession on the campus around 1am protesting police action on the demonstrators in Dhaka.

They also blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi highway for half an hour and returned to the campus around 2:30am.

Masud Munnaf, convener of the RU chapter of the parishad, said the class boycott programme announced by the parishad will continue at all public universities and colleges affiliated with the National University for an indefinite period to press home their demand.

At Chittagong University, the students refrained from joining their classes on Monday demanding reform of the quota system and protesting the attack on the students who thronged at Shahbagh intersection of the capital on Sunday night.

Mohammad Arju, chief coordinator of CU unit Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, said the no one joined their classes on Monday.

At Khulna University, the students took position in front of the campus on Monday and staged demonstrations to press their demand around 11:00am.

At Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), the students staged demonstration in front of the campus as part of the countrywide programme.

The students of Chittagong University also put up barricade on rail tracks in Sholoshohor area of the city, halting the movement of shuttle trains of the university in the morning.

On February 17, students and job seekers started the movement to press for their five-point demand that include introduction of unified age limit in government jobs, review of quota system in government recruitment process, including Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, stopping taking benefit byjob seekers under the same quota, filling vacant posts from merit list if the candidates from quota are not found and fixation of 10 percent quota instead of existing 56 per cent.