No vehicles plying in city’s Shanir Akhra, Kazla, Rayerbag

People were seen walking towards their destination in the capital’s Shanir Akhra and Kazla areas around 7:30 am in the morning Thursday. Vehicles were not being allowed to move in the Rayerbag Kadamtali area of the city.

The Dhaka-bound buses from the southern part of the country had to stop at the Signboard area of Siddhirganj in Narayanganj due to the barricades set up there. The passengers were seen heading towards their destinations with luggage by foot.

Many are saying they are walking towards their workplaces as public transport is not available. Many of the garment workers were seen walking.

Members of law enforcement agencies were seen deployed at almost all the entry points of Dhaka University (DU) at around 7:30 am. The campus was mostly empty.

The quota protesters staged demonstrations, blocked roads, held gayebana janaza, and brought out coffin processions across the country, including Dhaka. There were also several reports of clashes and chasing and counter-chasing.

There were fires in at least 20 places along the road from Shanir Akhra to Signboard. Besides, the protesters put logs on the road to block vehicular movement.

The protesters took position on the Kazla to Signboard stretch of the road while a number of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Armed Police Battalion (APBn) were deployed in front of the Jatrabari police station. They were hurling brickbats towards the protesters every now and then.

Earlier, the police fired tear gas shells and used sound grenades to thwart the coffin procession brought out by the DU students which resulted in chasing and counter chasing and clash between the two sides. The police forced many of the DU students to leave the halls following the university administration’s declaration of closure.

The quota protesters will be observing a complete shutdown across the country in protest of the shameful attacks on their peaceful programmes carried out by the police, BGB, RAB and SWAT; killing and demanding justice for the students who have been killed, quota reform and a violence free campus. Everything except the emergency services, including media and hospitals, will remain closed during the shutdown.