HSC students' daylong road blockades leave Dhaka commuters stranded in gridlock
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials said students had cleared most roads by the evening.
Highlights
- HSC students block Dhaka roads, demanding minister's resignation
- Science Lab, Uttara blockades trigger severe traffic congestion
- Protesters march to parliament, clash with police intervention
- Uttara blockade disrupts expressway, airport-bound passengers stranded
- Commuters face hours-long delays amid daylong protests
- DMP says most roads cleared by evening
Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees staged daylong road blockades at several key points across Dhaka today (14 July), demanding the resignation of Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milan and pressing for three other demands.
The demonstrations caused severe traffic congestion on major roads, including the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, leaving commuters, office-goers and outbound passengers facing prolonged delays.
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The students blocked the Science Lab intersection and the area in front of BNS Tower in Uttara around 11:30am, bringing traffic movement on the two important routes to a standstill.
After blocking Science Lab for nearly an hour, the students withdrew from the road and marched towards the Vice-Chancellor's Chhatra (VC Chattar) area of Dhaka University.
Later, when they attempted to move towards Shahbagh, police stopped them.
The students then stayed for about an hour on the road in front of Sir AF Rahman Hall near Nilkhet area. Around 1:45pm, they moved towards the Dhaka Education Board office at Bakshibazar via Nilkhet area.
Later, they returned to Science Lab and blocked the intersection again around 3:45pm. After staying there for nearly an hour, the protesters began marching towards the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 5:30pm.
At around 6:00pm, while parliament was in session, the students gathered in front of the main gate of the parliament complex and chanted slogans. They blocked part of Manik Mia Avenue with barricades.
When some protesters attempted to enter the parliament premises around 6:45pm, police dispersed them using batons.
The protesters claimed several students were injured, though their identities were not immediately known.
Meanwhile, another group of HSC examinees blocked the ECB Chattar area in Mirpur around 4:00pm, halting traffic towards Kalshi and Hotel Radisson Blu. They left the road around 5:45pm.
In Uttara, students continued blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway from 11:30am until 7:30pm, causing severe congestion on both sides of the road. The traffic jam spread to the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and nearby routes.
Although the protesters left the road at 7:30pm, heavy congestion remained from Uttara to Banani until 8:30pm.
Captain (retd) Hasib Hasan Khan, manager of operations and maintenance at FDEE Company Ltd, told The Business Standard that the Uttara blockade caused severe congestion on the downward route of the elevated expressway.
"The congestion has spread from the airport area to the Army Stadium," he said.
The daylong protests caused significant hardship for commuters, including passengers travelling to the airport. Many people were seen walking to their destinations after being stuck in traffic for hours.
Sharier Khan, a senior executive at a private company, told TBS that he was stuck on the expressway for two hours due to the blockade.
"I got stuck from the Kuril area and had no way to return. Passengers heading to the airport were forced to walk with their luggage," he said.
Mallika Rikta, an employee of another private organisation, said she was travelling to Gazipur for work when she became trapped in traffic after exiting the expressway.
"I waited for nearly two hours before taking the 300 Feet road to reach Gazipur. In the evening, as the blockade continued, I returned to Dhaka through Banasree," she said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials said students had cleared most roads by the evening.
SM Hasibur Rahman Babu, assistant commissioner of the DMP Traffic Airport Zone, said students left the road around 7:30pm, but severe congestion remained on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway due to the day's disruption.
"It will take some time for traffic movement to return to normal," he said.
Abu Sayem Nayan, assistant commissioner of the DMP Traffic Gulshan Zone, said traffic movement returned to normal after students left ECB Chattar around 5:45pm.
