Dhaka grinds to halt as students block roads again

City dwellers suffered for a second consecutive day yesterday as students demanding the issuance of an ordinance for the proposed Dhaka Central University blocked the Science Lab and Technical intersections again.

The protests brought life in many parts of the capital to a standstill, particularly in areas surrounding the two key intersections, forcing commuters to abandon vehicles and walk long distances to reach their destinations.

Cars, buses and passengers remained stranded for hours despite police efforts to divert traffic through alternative routes. 

Members of the Facebook group Traffic Alert posted warnings about blocked roads and shared photographs of severe gridlocks.

Witnesses said students of Dhaka College and Eden Mahila College brought out a procession from their campuses and blocked the road at Science Lab around 1:00pm.

Around 1:30pm, a bus carrying students of Dhaka University arrived at the Science Lab intersection but was stopped by the protesters.

An argument ensued between students on the bus and those blocking the road. About one and a half hours later, the college students allowed the DU bus to leave.

However, as the bus was departing the Science Lab intersection, another altercation broke out between the protesters and DU students. At that point, protesters attacked the bus, hurling bricks and stones and shattering its windows, witnesses said.

At least two students were injured in the incident.

“People are blocking roads wherever they please. The lives of ordinary people have become unbearable,” said Ariful Islam, who was stuck in a traffic jam at Science Lab for three hours with his motorcycle.

A CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver said, “I have been stuck in the jam for around two and a half hours. How will I manage the daily deposit to the owner?”

Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Division Police, said the college students left the road around 4:30pm, but DU students blocked the Nilkhet area in the evening, protesting the attack on their bus.

Meanwhile, students of Government Bangla College blocked the Technical intersection for about four hours from around 1:00pm with the same demand, bringing vehicular movement in the area to a complete halt, said SM Jakaria, officer-in-charge of Darussalam Police Station.

On Wednesday, Dhaka witnessed severe traffic congestion for at least five hours due to protests and blockades at key points by students of the seven colleges and Tejgaon College, causing immense suffering for commuters throughout the day.

Responding to a question about repeated street blockades by students of the seven colleges, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said, “What can I say about road blockades? In the last 16 months, there have been around 2,000 street protests. After a mass uprising, public expectations rise sharply, but the sense of responsibility does not always rise at the same pace.”

“Some people may think, ‘This is our government; it will listen to whatever we say.’ That may be true. However, while staging protests, we must consider the suffering caused to ordinary people. Today, a newspaper published a photograph of a man with a missing leg travelling a long distance on crutches. If we fail to uphold even this minimum sense of civic responsibility, what else can be done?” he added.