On Thursday (18th July), over 100 activists from the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) demonstrated at Park Circus in central Kolkata to express their grief over the deaths of seven students during protests against Bangladesh’s quota system. Several protestors were detained by the police.
The protestors belonging to the leftist student body were waving signs condemning claimed actions taken by security authorities in Bangladesh against student protestors during recent street protests, as well as raising slogans in support of the agitators in Bangladesh.
#WATCH | West Bengal: AIDSO students union in Kolkata stage a protest amid the ongoing anti-quota protests in Bangladesh.
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2024
They were detained by the Police. pic.twitter.com/mBvnXjvV23
Approximately 100 protestors gathered outside Lady Brabourne College and attempted to march to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission before being halted by police near the Park Circus seven-point crossing.
On Thursday, four AIDSO protestors went to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission and submitted a memorandum demanding a halt on attacks on peaceful protestors in Bangladesh. They sought the PM Sheikh Hasina-led government to hold dialogue with protesting students to resolve the issue.
The AIDSO members also staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Notably, Bangladesh has been witnessing violent protests for more than a month over the decision of the High Court to reinstate 30% reservation in government jobs to the descendants of the freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War.
The agitation against the ‘quota politics’, which is said to benefit members of Hasina’s Awami League, is largely spearheaded by students belonging to prominent colleges and universities in the country.
