TDS Desk:

Students from Dhaka Medical College and other medical colleges have given an ultimatum to cancel all illogical quotas, including the freedom fighter quota and to reannounce the results of the medical admission test by Monday.

They issued this ultimatum during a sit-in and protest rally organized at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital at 11:30am on Monday.

During the protest, students chanted slogans such as “Why quota in medical, administration must answer,” “Why someone with 40 marks gets a chance, but someone with 73 doesn’t,” and “In my Shonar Bangla, there’s no place for discrimination.”

Professor Dr Major (retd) Abdul Wahab expressed solidarity with the protest, saying: “Many students with 40 or 41 marks got admission, but some with double the marks did not; isn’t this discrimination? Autocratic individuals are present in various administrative positions and their misdeeds were revealed in yesterday’s (Monday’s medical admission result) results.”

He also expressed support for the demand to abolish all types of quotas and reannounce the results by Monday.

Doha, a student from Dhaka Medical College, said: “After a successful movement for the cancellation of discrimination and quota reform, such discriminatory behavior in the medical admission test was unnecessary. Where the passing marks are 40, how can someone with 37 or 38 marks get into medical? We want to see the end of this discrimination today.”

Abir Hossain, a student from Sir Salimullah Medical College, mentioned: “Previously, even when the quota system was in place in the medical admission test, one could get a chance with one or two marks less than the cut-off. But this year, candidates with 30-35 marks less than the cut-off in the freedom fighter quota have gotten admission into government medical colleges, which we cannot accept.”

He added: “We demand the abolition of the freedom fighter quota and all other types of quotas. We want the results to be reissued with the abolition of the quota discrimination.”

Mahin Sarkar, the former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, expressed solidarity with the medical students, saying: “After the 24th July uprising in Bangladesh, we still see the continuation of illogical and discriminatory quotas in medical colleges. Many students with 72 marks didn’t get a chance, yet some with 40 marks did.”

He further added: “Similarly, illogical quotas, including the dependent quota, still exist at Dhaka University. We want the results of the medical admission test to be re-announced immediately. All illogical quotas must be abolished in all universities and medical admission tests.”

He also addressed advisers Asif Mahmud and Nahid Islam, saying: “Thousands of our brothers were injured and killed in response to your call. The demand they had was to be fulfilled, which is why we made you our advisers. If you don’t understand the language of those students, then there is no need for you to be there. Why are we still on the streets demanding the abolition of quotas even after you are sitting there?