Titumir students warn of road, rail blockade if demands unmet

A group of students from Government Titumir College on Tuesday warned that they would block roads and railways in Dhaka’s Mohakhali area again on Wednesday if their demand to form a commission for converting the college into a university was not met. They referred to the planned protest as the "Barasat Barricade to Mohakhali."

The announcement was made during a briefing held at the college’s main gate around 11:45 am on Tuesday as part of a sit-in programme.

Motiur Rahman Joy, a key coordinator of the movement, stated, “We have learned that top government officials, including the education adviser, will hold a meeting today to discuss our demands. Our representatives will also attend. If we do not receive concrete assurances from the meeting, we will block roads and railways starting at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday.”

Following the briefing, the students resumed their protest, chanting slogans such as “No place for discrimination in Titumir’s Bengal,” “TC or TU? TU! TU!,” “Demand to Gulshan: Titumir University,” “Demand to Banani: Titumir University,” “Principal or VC? VC! VC!,” “We will stay on our campus,” and “Why are police on campus? We demand answers from the administration.”

Earlier, on Monday (November 17), students staged similar protests demanding the conversion of Titumir College into a university. Around 11:00 a.m., they occupied the Mohakhali railway tracks, disrupting both rail and road transportation. This resulted in the complete suspension of train services between Dhaka and the rest of the country, as well as severe traffic congestion in the capital. The students later temporarily called off their protest after receiving assurances from the authorities.