Police intercepted physically-challenged graduates in the city’s Shahbagh area on Friday when they started a march towards Jamuna, the official residence of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, to place their demands.
A good number of graduated youths with disabilities under the banner of the “Chakripratyashi Pratibandhi Graduate Parishad” thronged Shahbagh intersection and started a demonstration around 3pm.
At one stage of the demonstration, they began marching from Shahbagh towards State Guesthouse Jamuna, but police halted them.
“We were marching peacefully towards Jamuna, but police stopped us midway. Our movement will continue until our demands are met,” said Md Ali Hossain, convener of the parishad.
Parishad’s Member Secretary Alif Hossain, Ducsu member and Joint Convener Raisul Islam, Joint Conveners Sheikh Kamruzzaman, Abdul Wahed, Kamal Hossain Piyas, and representative Azad Hossain were present at the programme.
According to organisers, members of the parishad have been staging a sit-in protest at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture for five days.
As part of their ongoing movement, 40–50 graduates with disabilities held a symbolic hunger procession with plates on Thursday.
The demands include the special recruitment facilities and an extension of the age limit for government jobs, reserving of 2% quota for persons with disabilities in first-and second-class jobs, and 5% in third-and fourth-class posts, ensuring special recruitment and raising the job’s age limit.
