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Thursday | November 05, 2026 | Dhaka

Students stage protest over secretariat relocation

Students withdraw road blockade in Agargaon, demand research centre on former trade fair grounds
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:02 AM, 05 November 2026
Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) stage a demonstration outside the PWD office in Dhaka on Wednesday after withdrawing a road blockade in Agargaon over plans to relocate the secretariat to the trade fair grounds.

Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) staged a demonstration outside the Public Works Department (PWD) office in Dhaka on Wednesday after withdrawing a road blockade in Agargaon over plans to relocate the secretariat to the university’s former trade fair grounds.

Several hundred students gathered on the campus around 11:30am and marched to Begum Rokeya Sarani, where they blocked the road, causing severe traffic congestion in the surrounding areas. Many commuters were forced to walk to their destinations.

The students withdrew the blockade around 1pm and later demonstrated in front of the Public Works Complex in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, where they burned an effigy of the PWD.

During the protest, they chanted slogans demanding that the former trade fair grounds remain under the university’s control. They also took a tractor to the site and ploughed the land to assert their claim to it.

The protesters said the land belonged to the university and should be used to establish a research centre for students instead of housing the secretariat.

Noor Alam Nahid, a student of the Faculty of Agriculture who joined the demonstration, told Stream that the grounds had been under the university’s control before the then president HM Ershad’s government established the trade fair there.

“Although the trade fair has since moved elsewhere, the Public Works Ministry is now claiming ownership of the land,” he said.

Another student, Faisal Hasan Sujon, said the area was often described as the “lungs of Dhaka” because of its trees and open spaces.

Building the secretariat there would worsen traffic congestion and harm the environment, he added. Abu Sayeed, another student, said several hospitals and government institutions were located nearby.

Setting up the secretariat there would cause further difficulties for patients and government officials, he said.

Around 1:30pm, the students gathered in front of the university’s teachers-students centre and announced their next programme.

Touhid Ahmed Ashik said they would gather on campus at 10:30am on Thursday, march to the National Parliament building and hold a human chain.

They would also distribute leaflets explaining the reasons behind their movement before returning to campus in a procession.