From morning until evening, Dhaka remained gripped by severe traffic congestion as protesting students blocked key roads across the capital over the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations, disrupting daily life and leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Traffic remained severely disrupted into the evening on key roads, including those in Uttara, ECB Chattar and Manik Mia Avenue, triggering gridlock across the city.
Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon Traffic Division Rafiqul Islam said blockades at multiple locations had disrupted traffic on several major roads.
"The impact has been felt since around 11:00am and continued into the evening. Even a key road like Manik Mia Avenue remains closed," he said.
In a Facebook post, the Gulshan Traffic Division said student demonstrations had forced the closure of roads in front of BNS Tower in Uttara and on both sides of ECB Chattar.
The blockades caused severe congestion on the Airport-bound carriageway of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, with a tailback extending as far as the Kuril Flyover.
Traffic Sergeant Ashiqur Rahman said the blockade had brought traffic in the area to a near standstill. Although limited vehicle movement resumed after 5:00pm, congestion had not fully eased.
Traffic police urged residents to use alternative routes wherever possible and said efforts were underway to restore normal traffic flow.
Earlier at around 11:30am, protesting students blocked the Dhanmondi-bound carriageway at the Science Laboratory intersection, halting traffic in both directions. The blockade left buses, private cars, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and other vehicles stranded, causing severe suffering for commuters.