7 college students block Science Lab intersection, causing severe traffic jam

Students of seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University (DU) have blocked the Science Lab intersection in capital. The protest started at around 6:00 pm on Sunday (January 26). As a result, there was severe traffic congestion around Science Lab, Nilkhet intersection, and Elephant Road.

The students, with five demands, went to meet DU's Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education), Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed, in the afternoon. Dr. Mamun asked two or three students to come to his office to talk, but when they didn’t listen and went in anyway, a crowd gathered. Dr. Mamun then stopped talking to them. In response, the students started their protest.

However, Afzal Hossain, a student from Dhaka College, claimed, "When we went to meet the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University with our five demands, they insulted. Now, they must apologize to the students and accept all our demands by tonight. If not, we will not leave the road."

The students are demanding the removal of the unfair quota system in the 2024-25 admission process, preventing over-enrollment beyond classroom capacity, admitting students based on the teacher-student ratio, introducing negative marking in exams, and ensuring transparency in admission fees by depositing the money into a new account, separate from DU, with the coordination of a special committee formed by the Ministry.