Student protest halts traffic for hrs

HSC and equivalent examinees blocked major roads in Uttara on Tuesday, paralysing traffic on Airport Road, the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and nearby routes for several hours.

The protesters announced a “March to the Education Ministry” programme for Wednesday and demanded that Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon resign within 24 hours.

They also called for the suspension of ongoing examinations until weather conditions improve and fresh tests for candidates who missed the July 13 examinations because of floods and severe weather.

The demonstration began at around 11:30am when a group of students blocked both sides of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in front of BNS Tower in Uttara.

The blockade caused long tailbacks from Uttara to Kuril and nearly halted traffic on Airport Road and the Elevated Expressway.

Many commuters remained stranded for hours, while several airport-bound passengers had to leave their vehicles and walk with their luggage.

A private-sector employee said he had remained stuck on the expressway for nearly two hours and could not turn back after reaching the congested stretch near Kuril.

Mohammad Shahjahan Hossain, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Uttara Traffic Division, said vehicular movement had remained suspended since 11:30am.

At around 5:30pm, protesting students gathered outside the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad complex as part of their demonstrations. Police later used batons to disperse them.

Earlier, students from several educational institutions blocked the Science Lab intersection, stopping traffic on Mirpur Road.

The participating institutions included Dhaka College, Dhaka City College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, Noor Mohammad Public College, Dhaka Imperial College, Cambrian College, Dhaka Commerce College, Dhaka Ideal College and BAF Shaheen College.

Students also staged coordinated demonstrations in Cumilla, Bogura, Barishal, Chattogram, Faridpur and Brahmanbaria.

The protesters said the government should not continue the examinations while floods and severe weather were preventing many candidates from reaching examination centres.

Meanwhile, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon urged the students to end the protests and return to their studies.

Speaking in parliament, he said the government was closely monitoring the situation and would ensure that no student suffered because of floods, natural disasters or administrative failures.

He also said the authorities would arrange fresh examinations, where necessary, for candidates who could not attend scheduled tests because of such disruptions.

“The students should return to their studies. We are more concerned than they are about conducting the examinations smoothly and managing the disaster situation,” the minister said.