Dhaka, April 12: After facing what can be termed as the biggest protest in her regime as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has declared the abolition of the decades old quota system recruiting government officials. The decision came after thousands of students marched across the country in protest against a controversial policy of setting aside jobs for special groups. "The quota system will be abolished as the students do not want it," she said in a statement in parliament. An apparently annoyed premier added that, "they have demonstrated enough protests, now let them return home". She said classes and examinations were suspended at all universities while the protests exposed ordinary people to worst sufferings which "they don't deserve".

In Dhaka, mobs of students blockaded major roads, bringing traffic to a standstill. Police were deployed to the Dhaka University where clashes in recent days left more than 100 students injured by tear gas and rubber bullets.

Prime Minister Hasina has suggested abolishing the quota system for government jobs altogether.

According to police, more than 5,000 protesters rallied at the Dhaka University campus alone while the private universities joined the public ones across the country to mount pressure on the government to abolish the system, meant for freedom fighters decedents, ethnic minority groups and women.

But the protests also drew a number of girl students demanding they be made eligible to compete for the public services on merit basis. "They (girls) said that they will get job through (appearing) examinations . . . it's a good word and I'm very happy . . . as they don't want quota, what is the necessity of it,” Hasina said.

The protests continued despite earlier government pledges to review the quota system as a section of students rejected the proposal demanding an instant government announcement. According to reports, after PM Sheikh Hasina's statement the student crowds have left for their homes and has sought the implementation of the announcement at the earliest. (With Agency Inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 12, 2018 08:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).