7-college students block Science Lab, Technical intersections again, commuters suffer

Students from seven major colleges in Dhaka have once again blocked Science Lab and Technical intersections in the capital demanding the promulgation of an ordinance to establish the proposed Dhaka Central University (DCU).

Students brought out a procession from Dhaka College around 12:30 pm on Thursday. By 12:40 pm, they moved to blockade the Science Lab intersection.

Participants included students from Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Bangla College and Titumir College.

During the march and blockade, students chanted various slogans including “We want justice”, and “Who am I, who are you—DCU, DCU”.

“We have only one demand: the Dhaka Central University ordinance must be issued. We do not want any more timelines,” Faruk Hasan, a student of Kabi Nazrul Government College, said.

The renewed blockade caused severe hardship for commuters.

Mohammad Hanif, who had travelled from Savar and was heading to Gulistan, became stranded at the Science Lab.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “How many demands will be realised like this? Roads are being blocked wherever people feel like. Life has become unbearable. It feels like no one is watching. Is there even a government in the country? If there is, we urge them to take steps to ease public suffering.”

Due to the roadblocks, traffic movement on Mirpur Road and adjoining roads came to a complete halt, leaving people in distress. Unable to find transport, many commuters were seen walking to their destinations.

Students from the same colleges had staged blockades at Science Lab, Technical, and Tanti Bazar intersections in Dhaka on Wednesday as well. For a brief period, students also blocked roads in Mohakhali with the same demand.

Meanwhile, students of Tejgaon College separately blocked roads in the Farmgate area, demanding justice for the killing of a fellow student and the arrest of those involved.

From 11:00 am until evening on Wednesday, blockades were reported at various times at five key locations across the capital.

This resulted in severe traffic congestion on the roads and surrounding areas, causing extreme suffering for commuters and drivers and their assistants alike.

The blockades at Science Lab and the Technical intersections led to day-long gridlock along Mirpur Road, stretching from Azimpur to Gabtoli. Traffic congestion was also reported in Mirpur sections 1, 2 and 10.

The education ministry has said that a revised draft of the proposed Dhaka Central University ordinance was sent to the public administration ministry on Tuesday.

The seven colleges are Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Bangla College and Titumir College.

The draft will be placed before the advisory council for approval after receiving policy clearance from the cabinet division and legal vetting by the law ministry.

The crisis surrounding the seven colleges has persisted since 2017, when they were affiliated with the Dhaka University without adequate preparation.

Although the initiative to establish DCU was taken to resolve the crisis, protests erupted over the initial draft.

The recently revised draft states that the colleges will continue to operate while remaining “affiliated” with the new university, broadly in a manner similar to the National University, while retaining their individual characteristics.