Students of North Western University in Khulna blocked a road in Sonadanga for three hours on Monday, demanding the arrest of those accused in the murder of their fellow student Mohammad Azmul Hossain.
The blockade was withdrawn and traffic movement in the area returned to normal in the afternoon after Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) and Khulna City Corporation (KCC) officials assured the students of taking action.
The students, however, gave a 24-hour ultimatum for the arrest of the accused.
According to police and university sources, anger among students intensified as no accused had been arrested over the killing of Azmul, a first-year student of the English Language and Literature Department of North Western University.
Students began their protest around 10:30am on Monday by blocking the road in front of the university.
At one stage, they set tyres on fire in the middle of the road and enforced the blockade.
Teachers also expressed solidarity with the students during the protest.
The protesters demanded the arrest of the accused named in the case within 24 hours and warned of tougher programmes if their demand was not met.
The blockade disrupted long-distance and local bus services from Sonadanga Bus Terminal, causing suffering for commuters.
After 1pm, KMP Additional Police Commissioner Mohammad Shahnewaz Khaled and KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Monju held discussions with the protesting students to bring the situation under control.
Shahnewaz Khaled said police teams were conducting operations in different areas to arrest the accused and assured that they would soon be brought to justice.
He also promised that the investigation report and charge sheet would be submitted to the court within a month.
Following the assurances, students withdrew the blockade around 1:30pm, while keeping their 24-hour ultimatum in place.
