Several hundred students of seven colleges affiliated to Dhaka University on Tuesday blocked Science Laboratory crossing to press their demand for a separate autonomous university causing sufferings to the commuters.
They blocked the crossing for around five hours creating severe traffic congestion in the central area of the capital, including Shahbagh, Elephant Road, Hatirpool, Banglamotor, Kalabagan, Green Road and Dhanmondi.
Students of the seven colleges 鈥� Dhaka College,聽 Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls鈥� College, Eden Mohila College, Government Bangla College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Government Titumir College, and Kabi Nazrul Government College 鈥� blocked the crossing at around 12:00pm.
Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College social work department student Ridoy Hossain said that students of the seven affiliated colleges were demanding a separate autonomous university for a long time.
鈥榃e have not seen any effective steps from the authorities to meet the demand,鈥� claimed Ridoy.
Education ministry on October 24 formed a 13-member committee to solve the academic and administrative problems of seven colleges following the recent protests of the students.
Dhaka College English department student Afzalul Hasan Rakib said that students of the seven colleges rejected the committee.
鈥榃e demand a commission incorporating student-friendly teachers and student representative which will work to form a separate autonomous university,鈥� said Rakib.
鈥榃e will continue the blockade till our demand is met,鈥� added Rakib, saying that the students would block the crossing on Wednesday from 9:00am till 5:00pm to press the demand.聽
Dhaka College English department student Muntasir Billah claimed that the quality of education in the colleges fell after the affiliation.
鈥楾eachers of our collages teach us following our syllabus but the teachers of DU set the question papers,鈥� claimed Muntasir, adding that session jam increased after the affiliation.
Muntasir mentioned that students of the seven colleges were facing discrimination in quality of education and also in the job sector.
Muhammad Sayed, Dhaka College student of zoology department, said that students would continue the daylong blockade till the authorities assure them about forming the commission for a separate autonomous university for the seven colleges.
The traffic movement collapsed in the adjacent areas of Science Laboratory due to the five-hour long blockade creating huge sufferings for the commuters.
Savar Paribahan bus driver, Hashem Uddin, said that he was carrying passengers from Sadarghat towards Savar but stuck for hours due to the blocked.
鈥楳ost of the passengers left the bus after waiting for a long time,鈥� said Hashem.聽聽
Dhaka Metropolitan Police New Market zone assistant commissioner Tariq Latif told 抖阴精品 that the students lifted the blockade at around 5:00pm.
Traffic police diverted traffic at different points to mitigate passengers鈥� sufferings, added Latif.
Earlier, the seven college students blocked Nilkhet and Science Laboratory crossings for about four hours demanding autonomous university on October 21.
A group of Dhaka University Students on October 23 staged a protest march and submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan demanding the cancellation of the affiliation of seven colleges with the university stating that the DU administration was already struggling to serve its own students and the affiliation of the seven colleges had added more hassles.
