Students of seven government colleges in Dhaka on Thursday again blocked the Science Lab intersection, demanding the early approval of the revised draft of the proposed “Dhaka Central University” ordinance and its immediate promulgation by the president.
The blockade began shortly after 12:30pm, when students from Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College and Badrunnesa Government Women’s College marched in processions and took positions at the Science Lab intersection, in line with their prior announcement.
As a result of the blockade, traffic on major roads in the area, including Mirpur Road, came to a complete standstill. Commuters faced severe hardship, with many forced to get off buses and walk to their destinations.
The protesting students said that although the formation of a separate university comprising seven colleges had been announced after a long wait, the issuance of the final ordinance was being unnecessarily delayed.
Calling the delay an “excuse” by the authorities, they said they would not vacate the road until the Dhaka Central University ordinance was issued. They also warned that the blockade would continue until their demands were met.
The students said they had been informed that the revised draft of the Dhaka Central University ordinance would be approved at an advisory council meeting on Thursday, followed by the issuance of the final ordinance by the president.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said the revised draft of the proposed ordinance was sent to the Ministry of Public Administration on Tuesday. The draft will be placed before the advisory council for approval, following principle approval from the Cabinet Division and vetting by the Law Ministry, as soon as possible.
Earlier on Wednesday, students staged similar blockade programs at several points in Dhaka. The Science Lab intersection was blocked around 1pm, while the Technical intersection in Mirpur was blocked from around 12:30pm. The Tantibazar intersection in Old Dhaka was blocked at about 11:45am. In addition, students of Titumir College briefly blocked the road in the Mohakhali area for around 10 minutes at about 1pm.
The protesters later withdrew from the intersections. Students left the Technical intersection at around 3:30pm, Tantibazar at around 3:15pm and the Science Lab intersection at about 5:40pm.