HSC examinees on Tuesday staged a protest and blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Tangail, demanding the cancellation of Monday's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination and the resignation of the education minister.
The protesters blocked the highway for nearly one and a half hours from around 1:30pm, causing a traffic tailback stretching about 10 kilometres on the northbound lane and leaving commuters stranded.
Earlier, the students brought out a protest procession from in front of the Tangail Press Club. The march passed through several roads in the town before culminating in a rally at Nirala intersection. They later marched to the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, where they staged the blockade.
The demonstration was joined by both examinees and their guardians. Students from Kumudini Government Women's College, Mahmudul Hasan Adarsha College and several other educational institutions in the district participated in the programme.
The protesters said widespread flooding and heavy rainfall across the country had prevented many examinees from reaching their examination centres on time, leaving them disadvantaged. They demanded that the examination be cancelled and rescheduled, and called for the education minister's resignation to ensure accountability. They also warned of fresh highway blockades if their demands were not met within three hours.
Law enforcement personnel were deployed at the scene to maintain order.
Tangail Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahin Mia said he and the officer-in-charge (OC) of the local police station rushed to the site after receiving information about the protest.
They heard the students' demands, advised them to submit a memorandum outlining their grievances, and urged them to withdraw the blockade. The students later complied and cleared the highway.