7-college students block Science Lab again, halt traffic

A group of students from the seven affiliated colleges of Dhaka University (DU) resumed their protest by blocking the Science Lab intersection in Dhaka on Wednesday (October 30), demanding the establishment of an independent public university.

The students marched from Dhaka College to the Science Lab intersection after holding a protest rally on the college campus around 11:00 a.m. The roadblock has resulted in halted traffic in the area.

The protesting students expressed their frustration, stating that the government has not accepted their demand for the establishment of an independent university for the seven colleges. "We want our demand to be implemented quickly," they said. "The government has forced us to take to the streets without addressing our legitimate issues. We do not wish to cause inconvenience to the public, but we urge the government to form a University Transformation Commission to fulfill our demands. We want to return to our studies."

Earlier, on September 22, students held a press conference at Dhaka College to highlight the issues faced by the seven colleges. They subsequently submitted a memorandum to Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on September 25, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan on September 29, and UGC Chairman Professor Dr. S.M.A. Faiz. The same memorandum was also given to the principals of the respective colleges.

On October 22, the students once again blocked the Nilkhet and Science Lab intersections. The protest, held from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, concluded with a three-point demand and a 24-hour ultimatum issued at the Science Lab intersection. The protest was suspended for the day following the announcement. In response, the Ministry of Education formed a 13-member committee to address the academic and administrative issues of the seven colleges. The committee was directed to submit a report with necessary recommendations within six weeks.