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Dhaka police tried in vain to stop thousands of young protesters from blocking roads around the metropolis for the second time in as many days.
Images broadcast by local television station Jamna TV showed several protesters boarding a police vehicle and hundreds of others dismantling police roadblocks.
‘We’re not leaving’
In the port city of Chittagong, police attacked hundreds of protesters with batons as they tried to stop them from marching on a main road, witnesses told AFP.
“The police tried to stop us from holding a protest,” Deepa, a student from the city who did not want to give her last name, told AFP.
“We will not leave this path until our demands are met.”
The students demanded that a quota of 6% of the jobs be retained only to support minorities and people with disabilities.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court temporarily suspended the quota system on Wednesday, but protesters have vowed to continue protesting until the parts of the plan they oppose are completely repealed.
Critics say the system benefits the children of pro-government groups supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina, 76, won her fourth general election in January in a vote with no real opposition and a harsh crackdown on her political opponents, who boycotted the polls.
Critics accuse the Bangladeshi courts of not recognizing decisions made by the Bangladesh government.
Hasina condemned the protests and said the matter had been settled by the court.
“Students are wasting their time,” she said Sunday.
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