Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon on Tuesday expressed regret in parliament over his recent remarks, saying he had not intended to offend anyone.
Speaking during the budget session of the 13th Parliament at around 7:30pm, he said: "Many people have objected to my personal remarks. I did not intentionally say anything about anyone. Even so, if anyone has been hurt, I express my regret."
Earlier in the day, protesting students marched from the Science Lab intersection in Dhaka towards the Parliament at around 5:15pm. They reached the parliament's main gate around 6pm and staged a sit-in.
Before the march, at around 5pm, City College HSC examinee Md Miraj Hossain announced a three-point demand on behalf of the protesters.
He demanded that the education minister resign by 6pm and apologize to the nation for what he described as his "inappropriate" remarks.
Miraj also demanded that the July 13 examination be retaken, considering both those who sat for the exam despite adverse weather and those who were unable to attend.
The students further called for the following day's examination to be postponed, a revised examination schedule to be published, and future question papers to be made more student-friendly.
Earlier, at around 3:45pm, students began a second round of demonstrations at the Science Lab intersection, bringing traffic on Mirpur Road to a standstill and causing severe congestion in the surrounding areas.