Students of different polytechnic institutes in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Wednesday staged demonstrations by blocking roads, highways, and rail tracks to press home their six-point demand, including the cancelation of a High Court verdict allowing the promotion of craft instructors to junior instructors.
The massive blockade at places in the country disrupted communications and commuters had to suffer immensely.
Rail communications snapped in Rajshahi, Khulna, Chattogram, Feni, Rajshahi and Panchagragh for hours due to the protests.
Kamlapur Railway station manager Shahdat Hossain said that 43 trains were scheduled to reach Dhaka on the day. Of them, four trains were delayed due to the blockade, mainly from Khulna and Panchagragh.聽 聽
Students also blocked major highways, including Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Barishal highways.
Reports received from Cumilla and Barishal said that the protesters were dispersed in the cities by the members of law enforcement agencies.
In Dhaka, traffic movement came to a standstill in several areas in the city and huge traffic congestions were witnessed in Banglamotor, Eskaton, Karawan Bazar, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Tejgaon, Hatirjheel, Farmgate, Mohakhali and Banani areas due to the blockade by the students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and other institutions at Sat Rasta intersection in the capital鈥檚 Tejgaon area between 10:30am and 6:30pm.
The protesters also blocked the adjacent flyover and did not allow the movement of vehicles on the flyover.聽
The protesters urged the government to scrap the scope of admission in diploma engineering courses at any age and launch a global standard four-year curriculum in English medium for polytechnic students.
They alleged that though deputy assistant engineers and 10th-grade posts in government, autonomous and private organisations were designated for polytechnic students, many organisations were appointing diploma engineers in posts of lower grades.
They urged the government to take legal action against the organisations that are appointing diploma engineers in posts lower than 10th grade.
They also demanded to form a Technical and Higher Education Ministry, and a Technical Education Reform Commission for their cause.
They also demanded a ban on appointing people having no technical education background as assistant directors, directors, board chairman, deputy secretaries, examination controllers, and principals for running the technical education system.
Bangladesh Karigari Chhatra Andolan representative Jubayer Patowari, addressing the gathering at Sat Rasta intersection at about 6:30pm, announced that they would hold railway blockade across the country on Thursday for realising their six-point demand and protest against the attack on students by the members of the law enforcement agencies.
He vowed to continue the movement until fulfilling their demands.
Mahmudul Hasan Rafi, a third-year student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute鈥檚 mechanical engineering department, said, 鈥榃e staged demonstrations earlier and the government on September 9, 2024 assured us to implement our demands. But, the demands are yet to be fulfilled,鈥� said Rafi.
Tejgaon industrial police station officer-in-charge Gazi Shamimur Rahman said that the road blockade at the Sat Rasta intersection created traffic congestion in nearby areas.
Polytechnic students also protested in the Mirpur-10 area in the capital.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Cumilla, quoting the Mainamati highway police station OC Md Iqbal Bahar Majumder, reported that the police, with the help of army personnel, dispersed the protesters who blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway at the Coatbari area in Cumilla city and brought the situation under control.
抖阴精品 staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported that hundreds of polytechnic students blocked the rail tracks and the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at the Bhodra intersection area in Rajshahi city for three and a half hours from 12:00 noon to press home the demands.
The station master of Rajshahi Railway Station, Hasanul Haque, told 抖阴精品 that three intercity trains heading to Rajshahi remained stranded at three different stations during the students鈥� demonstration.
He said that the Barendra Express and the Kopotakkho Express trains left Rajshahi for Chilahati and Khulna respectively about one hour, and one hour and 40 minutes later.
He added that there was a delay of one and a half hours for the Dhaka-bound Padma Express and Tungipara Express trains to leave Rajshahi station.
In Naogoan, polytechnic students blocked the Naogaon-Bogura highway at the city bus stand area for around six hours, causing immense suffering to the people.
In Chapainawabganj, the students also blocked the Chapainawabganj-Sona Mosjid Port highway at Birshreshtha Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir Bridge area for three hours.
Students from multiple polytechnic institutes blocked a road in Chattogram for nearly three hours on Wednesday, 抖阴精品 Staff Correspondent in Chattogram reported.聽
The demonstration began at about 11:30am at the 2 No. Gate area in city, severely disrupting traffic movement and causing immense suffering to the commuters. A scuffle later broke out between students and transport drivers, prompting the protesters to relocate to Biplob Udyan.
Sylhet Polytechnic Institute students blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Chandirpool Intersection at Dakshin Surma in the city on Wednesday noon, 抖阴精品 Staff Correspondent in Sylhet reported.
Students of Feni Polytechnic Institute blocked Dhaka-Chattogram rail track at Feni and the blockade snapped rail communication for more than one and a half hours, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Feni reported.
Railway communications between Khulna and the rest of the country resumed after a three-hour suspension caused by a student demonstration demanding reforms in the diploma engineering education system, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
Students from four polytechnic institutes in Khulna staged a demonstration in the morning, blocking the Rupsha Express shortly after it had left Khulna Railway Station at about 9:15am.
The train was halted at Boyra Junction, leading to a disruption of train services across the country.
Students of Rangpur Polytechnic Institute and different private polytechnic institutes in the city held rallies and brought out a procession in the city pressing to meet their demands, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Rangpur reported.
Barishal Polytechnic students blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway at Nathuallhbad in the city on Wednesday noon, the district correspondent reported.
Police and members of the armed forces鈥� interference brought the vehicular movement to normal after 40 minutes.
Polytechnic students also staged demonstrations in Narsingdi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Rangpur, Pabna, Dinajpur and Sherpur districts, reports received from the districts said.