Students from different government and semi-government higher educational institutions enforced a blockade at the Shahbagh intersection in the capital for the second straight day on Wednesday, demanding the cancellation of quota system in public sector job recruitment.

The blockade lasted 1.5 hours starting 3.45pm. The students are looking forward to an Appellate Division ruling tomorrow (Thursday) regarding the quota system, and have vowed to continue demonstrations till their demands are met.

The blockade resulted in acute traffic congestion in and around the Shahbagh area, with tailbacks extending as far as to Gulistan and Old Dhaka on one side and the Science Lab intersection on the other. In solidarity with the protest, Jahangirnagar University (JU) students also blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, for the third consecutive day, and the about two-hour blockade caused huge acute traffic congestion.

JU students threatened to block the crucial highway indefinitely if tomorrow's decision on an appeal goes is favour of the quota system.

As a procession started at around 2.45pm on the University of Dhaka campus, the police were anticipating a repeat of Tuesday’s blockade and were took positions at the Shahabagh intersection before the students could gather there.

However, when the procession reached the intersection, police personnel moved away peacefully, like they did the previous day.

An officer claimed police persnonnel requested the students to leave the spot for preventing sufferings of commuters, but the protesters did not comply.