Staff Reporter :
The streets of Dhaka and major cities across Bangladesh last year on this day were gripped by one of the most intense student-led uprisings in recent memory – the ‘Bangla Blockade’, a nationwide protest movement demanding the cancellation of the quota system in government recruitment.
On July 6, 2024, student leaders announced the ‘Bangla Blockade’ as frustration peaked over the government’s perceived inaction and the judiciary’s delay in responding to demands for reinstating the 2018 circular that had abolished quotas in public service.
“Our programmes until July 6 were limited to protest processions. But as the court kept deferring the hearing, the Bangla Blockade was declared to intensify pressure,” recalled Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, a key coordinator of the movement, in his later-published book “July: Matribhumi Othoba Mrityu”.
Asif, who now serves as an advisor to the interim government, noted that the students felt unheard and marginalized. “Even when we blocked Shahbagh, vehicles would just bypass us. That indifference sparked something bigger.”
What began as peaceful rallies on campuses transformed into a synchronized, countrywide demonstration. The next day – July 7, 2024 – Dhaka came to a standstill.
Protesters blocked major city intersections including Shahbagh, Nilkhet, Motijheel, Science Lab, and Chankharpul, while students across districts paralyzed national highways in a unified call for justice.
“The government thought we would tire out. But we proved them wrong,” said Nahid Islam, another core organizer and now leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP).
“We had no choice. The prime minister in 2018 promised a quota-free system – but it returned. We demanded answers, not silence.”
A Wave of Solidarity Across the Nation
The movement quickly spread beyond the capital. From Rajshahi to Rangpur, Chattogram to Kushtia, highways were blocked, classes were boycotted, and student unity reached unprecedented levels.
In Rajshahi University, even on its founding anniversary, students blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway.
At Jahangirnagar University, a three-hour blockade of the Dhaka-Aricha highway was observed.
Students at Islamic University, Begum Rokeya University, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, and Chittagong University braved rain and heat alike to stage marches and shutdowns.
At Jagannath University, Tantibazar intersection was blocked before demonstrators returned to campus with processions.
Back in Dhaka, the main rally started from the Dhaka University Central Library and wound through campus landmarks before joining others at Shahbagh. The protestors blocked the intersection for nearly an hour, chanting slogans under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Repercussions and Aftermath
The protest did not come without consequences. On the same day the blockade was announced, Mosharraf, a student of Dhaka University’s Sociology department and general secretary of its Debating Club, was removed from his post for publicly supporting the movement.
Despite threats, expulsions, and heavy rains, the students held their ground – peaceful, firm, and determined.
While the long-term impact of the Bangla Blockade on national policy remains a matter of debate, the movement stands today as a historic reminder of student unity, defiance, and the unrelenting spirit of Bangladesh’s youth.
One year on, the slogans still echo:
“Matribhumi othoba mrityu – quota nirmul kortei hobe.”
