Titumir students lift blockade at Mohakhali crossing 5 hours after cutting off rail communication with Dhaka
As of 9:50pm, the protesters withdrew their programme and started leaving the streets
Protesting students of Government Titumir College have lifted their blockade on the Mohakhali Rail Crossing today (3 February), five hours after severely disrupting rail communication with Dhaka.
Junaed Jahedi, assistant commissioner of the Mohakhali traffic zone told The Business Standard that as of 9:50pm, the protesters withdrew their programme and started leaving the streets.
Railway Chief Operating Superintendent (East) Md Shahidul Islam told TBS, "About 10-12 trains are stuck at different places due to the blockade on the Mohakhali rail line. If the issue is not resolved by tonight, train services on the Dhaka-Chattogram route will also be suspended."
Kamalapur Railway Station Master Shahadat Hossain said earlier at 4:30pm, at least six trains have been delayed due to the blockade.
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"Of them, three are stuck on tracks in Tejgaon, Cantonment area and Mohakhali, while another three could not start the journey from Kamalapur Railway Station on time," he said.
He further said the number of delayed trains would grow every half an hour with the continuing blockade and rail communication with the capital would be completely halted.
"We hope the government would find a middle ground with the students and work on resolving this issue."
At 8:30pm, train passengers were stuck at the Bangabandhu Setu East Railway Station for more than three hours. A similar situation unfolded at the Mouchak Railway Station.
Ashikur Rahman, a passenger from the station, told The Business Standard that the Chitra Express heading to Dhaka left Khulna at 9am. It was supposed to reach the capital by 6pm. "Due to the student protests at Titumir College, the train has been stopped at one station for almost 3.5 hours. After passing the Bangabandhu Setu East Railway Station, trains are being given space at each station, one or two at a time. No other station has space to park trains.
"People who boarded the train in the morning still haven't reached Dhaka. Thousands of people are enduring unbearable suffering because the students of Titumir College want to upgrade to a university. What's the benefit? What will happen by becoming a university? I remember seeing the Jagannath College movement as a kid, and as a result of that, it later became a full-fledged university as Jagannath University. But did the quality change? There are millions of unemployed graduates in the country. Where you study doesn't necessarily get you a job," he said.
Four platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed at the protest scene to control the situation, a press statement from paramilitary forces said. At around 9:21pm, BGB personnel were still at the scene, including policemen.
A team led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education Md Nuruzzaman will be arriving at the scene to talk to the protesting students this evening.
Earlier on the day, Titumir students blocked the Mohakhali-Gulshan road at around 12:20pm for the fifth consecutive day.
Last night, students declared they would block the Gulshan-Mohakhali road and railway lines in Mohakhali from 11am to 10pm today.
Both incoming and outgoing traffic remained in a gridlock as the students put bamboo on the road in front of their college.
Meanwhile, about ten students have been on a hunger strike for the past five days in front of the college gate. Three of them were hospitalised, while others were continuing the strike with saline support, said Riad Hassan, a student of the Bangla department.
The protest began on 30 January, with students staging road blockades in front of their Mohakhali campus. On 31 January, they blocked roads again as part of their ongoing demonstrations.
The students' demands include formal recognition of Titumir University by the state and the publication of an academic calendar.
They also call for the formation of the university's administration and the commencement of admissions for the 2024-25 academic session.
Additionally, they demand accommodation for all students or financial assistance to cover their housing expenses.
They insist that from the 2024-25 academic year, two internationally recognised disciplines — Law and Journalism — must be introduced.
They are also calling for the appointment of qualified PhD-holding faculty members, a cap on student enrolment to maintain education quality, and financial and land allocations for an international-standard research laboratory.
