Students leave Shahbagh, issue deadline for Education Minister's resignation

Protesting students have suspended their sit-in at Shahbagh intersection in the capital after blocking it for about an hour and a half, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon. However, they have issued an ultimatum for the minister to resign by 10:00 pm on Wednesday, July 15. If the demand is not met, they announced a 'Long March to Secretariat' programme from Science Laboratory intersection at 10:00 am on Thursday.

Students demonstrated at Shahbagh from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. They later suspended the programme and cleared the road, restoring normal traffic.

Speaking on behalf of the protesting students, Rahat Ahmed, a student of Dhanmondi Ideal College, told journalists, "We do not want public suffering caused by road blockades. So we are suspending today's programme. Our demand is one — the Education Minister must resign. If he does not resign by 10:00 pm tonight, we will hold a 'Long March to Secretariat' programme from Science Lab tomorrow at 10:00 am."

Earlier, students had blocked Science Laboratory intersection after their exams on Wednesday, expressing anger over the decision to hold HSC exams during rain and waterlogging, and over errors and question quality in the Physics paper. They then marched towards the Secretariat as part of the 'Long March to Education Ministry' programme.

Around 4:00 pm, they faced a police barricade near the Education Building. They stayed there chanting slogans demanding the minister's resignation. A student delegation later went to the Secretariat with a six-point demand, dropping the demand for the minister's resignation.

Later, around 5:30 pm, students gathered at Shahbagh again and blocked the intersection from 6:00 pm.