Titumir College students gather inside campus, police on the outside

Students of Government Titumir College at Amtali of Mohakhali area in the capital gathered near the main entrance of the college inside the campus around 11:00 am today, Tuesday.

The presence of police personnel has been noticed on one side of the road in front of the college.

With the same demand, students of the college had blocked the road and railway at Mohakhali area for four and a half hours yesterday, Monday. Following a break of two and a half hours, students had blocked the road again in the evening.

Concluding their blockade around 9:30 pm at night, the students had announced that they are supposed to have a discussion today, Tuesday. Until there’s a positive decision, ‘college shutdown’ programme would be carried out from Tuesday morning.

Students gathered near the main entrance, chanted different slogans in favour of establishing Titumir University at the time. Police members have been deployed at the scene of the incident centering student’s sit-in programme.

A student of Titumir College, Shafayet Shafiq told Prothom Alo that they are carrying out ‘college shutdown’ programme today. No classes or exams are being held and the students have gathered behind the main gate.

Deputy commissioner (operation) of police AFM Tarik Hossain Khan, who was present at the scene stated that the police personnel are stationed there on alert.

Police want the students to carry on their sit-in programme inside the campus. The police force will take care so that the law and order situation is maintained.

Alongside vehicular movement on the street being disrupted, railway communication of Dhaka with nearly the whole country had been stopped due to students’ blockade on Monday. Severe traffic congestion had been created on Mohakhali flyover as well as on the road below the flyover that leads to airport. This caused extreme suffering for general commuters travelling towards different destinations throughout the day.

Towards the beginning of students’ blockade, a train moving towards Kamlapur railway station sped past Mohakhali rail crossing on Monday. Being angered at this, students who had blocked the rail line threw stones and brickbats at the train then. Several passengers on board the train were injured from this while the glass panes of some windows were shattered.