Staff Reporter :
Traffic in the capital’s key areas came to a standstill on Wednesday as hundreds of students from Dhaka Polytechnic Institute blocked the Tejgaon Satrasta intersection, protesting unmet demands and threatening a nationwide railway blockade if their six-point charter is not addressed.
The protesting students made the announcement on Wednesday (April 16) after ending their blockade at the capital’s Tejgaon Satrasta (Seven Roads) intersection.
Earlier in the day, the students gathered at the intersection around 10 AM and began their protest.
This brought traffic to a standstill in several areas, including Mohakhali, Banani, Gulshan, Moghbazar, Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Agargaon, and Mirpur.
Regarding the situation, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station Gazi Shamimur Rahman said, “Due to the blockade by over 1,000 students at Sat Rasta, school and college students, as well as office-goers, are facing immense suffering.”
During the protest, students held placards and chanted various slogans, the official added.
Calling for the fulfillment of their demands, the protesters said that the authorities must come to them, as they would not go to the Secretariat.
Their demands are: Cancellation of the High Court ruling that illegally promoted craft instructors to the position of junior instructor, amendment of the controversial recruitment policy, and dismissal of those responsible, Setting an age limit for admission into the Diploma-in-Engineering course, introducing an updated curriculum, and gradually implementing English as the medium of instruction, Halting the appointment of candidates to reserved posts that undermine the value of diploma engineers, Halting the recruitment of non-technical personnel in the technical sector and ensuring the recruitment of technically educated individuals, Formation of an independent “Ministry of Technical and Higher Education” and a “Technical Education Reform Commission, Establishing high-quality technical universities for graduates of polytechnic and monotechnic institutes, and initiating admission processes under Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (Duet) at the under-construction engineering colleges.
In this regard, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Tejgaon Traffic Division Rafiqul Islam said: “The road situation is dire; all surrounding routes are blocked. Things will return to normal once the students leave.”
“We proposed that the students go to the Secretariat to submit their demands, but they refused. We are trying to normalize the situation”, DMP officials added.
