As part of their ongoing sit-in programme, jobseekers seeking to raise the age limit to enter government jobs began a hunger strike on Monday evening. They began the hunger strike programme at Shahbagh in the capital by wearing shrouds.
Earlier, the jobseekers staged a sit-in protest at Shahbagh in front of the National Museum demanding that the government immediately issue a notification extending the age limit for entering government jobs to 35 years. The protest began around 11:30am, and demonstrators vowed not to leave the site until their demand was met. As of 2:30pm, the protesters were still there, according to our correspondent from Dhaka University.
Leaders of the movement warned that if their demand were not addressed today (Monday), they would escalate the protest by launching a hunger strike.
The demand for increasing the government job entry age has gained momentum after the Public Administration Reforms Commission recommended raising the age limit to 35 for men and 37 for women.
Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, the head of the commission, shared this information during a briefing at the Secretariat on October 14.
However, job seekers are frustrated, stating that they were promised a decision on the age limit by October 17, but no official notification has been released. As a result, they have taken to the streets to press for action.
The protesters are urging the government to act swiftly and address the growing demand to extend the job entry age, which would provide more opportunities for those affected by the current age limits.
