7 college students halt blockades in Dhaka, to resume demos Thursday

Students from seven Dhaka-based public colleges gradually lifted all their blockades on crucial roads in the capital during 3pm-5:30pm on Wednesday.

Around 3pm when leaving the Technical intersection, they announced that the “peaceful demonstrations” would resume in the afternoon the next day.

They said their protest would continue until an ordinance is issued for establishing the Dhaka Central University, a potential institution aimed at combining the seven colleges and ending decades of administrative hassles endured by the students.

The students will stage “peaceful sit-ins” at Tantibazar intersection in Old Dhaka, Technical intersection in Gabtoli, and Science Lab intersection from 3pm till the evening on Thursday, said Bangla College student Masum Billah in an exchange with reporters.

Earlier, from 11am to 1pm, students from the seven colleges took positions at the three crucial intersection as well as the Mohakhali intersection, causing immense sufferings to travelers and commuters.

A few students joined the Mohakhali blockade, but dispersed ten minutes later.

The first major blockade was lifted at Gabtoli around 3:15pm. Around 15 minutes later the Tantibazar blockade was also lifted. Then, students from Tantibazar and Gabtoli joined their peers at Science Lab intersection, where the blockade continued till 5:30pm.

During the demonstrations, the students said that the government must issue the ordinance for a combined university on Thursday, and the President must promulgate it promptly. The draft of the ordinance was published on an education ministry webpage on 24 September, and was later "subjected to amendments" with inputs from all the stakeholders, the students said.

On 7-8 December, the students staged a demonstration near the Shikkha Bhaban. At one point during the sit-in, education ministry officials sat down with the students and assured them of issuing their desired ordinance in the first half of January, the protesting students said on Wednesday.