Amid ongoing student protests demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 government circular that canceled the quota system in government jobs, movement leaders announced a new programme titled ‘Bangla Blockade’ on July 6, 2024, to intensify their demand.
The government had been treating the issue as a matter pending before the court, leading protesters to escalate their actions. According to Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, a key coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and now an adviser to the interim government, the students’ previous activities were limited to protest processions.
However, the postponement of the court hearing scheduled for July 4 and the lack of response from the authorities prompted the declaration of a larger-scale blockade.
In his book “July: Matribhumi Othoba Mrityu,” Asif wrote, “Our programmes until July 6 were protest processions only. The ‘Bangla Blockade’ was observed on July 7 as the court was prolonging process.”
Students felt their concerns were being ignored. Even as they staged demonstrations at key locations such as Shahbagh, vehicles bypassed them, weakening the effect of their protests. With more educational institutions joining the movement, the leaders decided to implement a coordinated nationwide blockade.
On July 6, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement officially announced the ‘Bangla Blockade’. Protesters briefly blocked Shahbagh intersection for about an hour before clearing the area around 5:30 PM.
During the announcement, Nahid Islam, another key coordinator and current National Citizen Party (NCP) chief, stated:
“We are going to start the ‘Bangla Blockade’ programme from 3 PM tomorrow.”
He added that students in Dhaka would occupy key points including Shahbagh, Science Lab, Chankharpul, Nilkhet, and Motijheel, while students outside Dhaka would block highways in their respective areas.
Nahid also said: “The government assumes we’ll get tired and go home after two or three days of protests. We must prove their assumption wrong. We have been peaceful so far, but if needed, we will call for a general strike.”
He reiterated demands for the complete removal of quotas in all categories of government jobs, including third- and-fourth-class-positions.
On July 6, a procession under the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement began at 3:15 PM from in front of the Dhaka University Central Library. The march passed through Mall Chattar, Surja Sen Hall, TSC, BUET, Palashi, and Azimpur before concluding at Shahbagh.
Simultaneously, other student groups had gathered in front of the National Museum. By 4:37 PM, students blocked Shahbagh intersection and maintained the blockade for about 50 minutes.
Across the country, students and job seekers from public universities held rallies and road blockades in solidarity.
“We realized then,” said Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, a key coordinator of the movement and now adviser to the interim government, “that protest processions weren’t enough. We needed to occupy space. We needed to be felt.”
And so, the “Bangla Blockade” was born.
At 3 PM on July 6, students poured into the streets of Dhaka, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Kushtia, Chattogram, and beyond. They were not just resisting a quota policy — they were demanding dignity, fairness, and a voice in the country they were trying to build.
In Dhaka, the movement’s epicenter, students began their march from the Dhaka University Central Library. Their feet pounded through Mall Chattar, Surja Sen Hall, TSC, Palashi, Azimpur — every step echoing generations of student resistance. By the time they reached Shahbagh, it was already full.
One group had gathered in front of the National Museum. Another blocked the Shahbagh intersection just before 5 PM. They sat, stood, and chanted — voices swelling with frustration and unity. The blockade lasted nearly an hour. It wasn’t violent. It didn’t need to be.
As Nahid Islam, another key coordinator and now head of the National Citizen Party (NCP), announced:
“From 3 PM tomorrow, we’ll bring Dhaka to a standstill — Shahbagh, Science Lab, Chankharpul, Nilkhet, Motijheel — every corner. And across the country, highways will be ours.”
At Jahangirnagar University, students marched through the halls, waking others, spreading the word. By 3:30 PM, they blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway, demanding justice for a generation denied opportunity.
In Rajshahi, even on the university’s founding anniversary, students refused to celebrate. Instead, they gathered on Paris Road, blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway, and held a sit-in. From 11 AM to noon, they stood their ground.
In Kushtia, students from Islamic University began their march under the massive banyan trees near the faculty buildings. By noon, they blocked the Kushtia-Khulna highway, rain soaking their clothes but not their resolve.
“We didn’t leave,” said one student. “We couldn’t. We owed it to ourselves — to Faisal, to the jobless graduates, to our future.”
In Tangail, students of Mawlana Bhashani University blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for two hours. In Rangpur, Begum Rokeya University students occupied the Rangpur-Dhaka highway, announcing a boycott of all classes and exams. In Chattogram, for the second day, university students stormed into the streets — their movement swelling at Sholoshahar Station, joined by classmates arriving by shuttle train.
This wasn’t without consequences. At Dhaka University, Mosharraf, the General Secretary of the Sociology Debating Club, was removed from his position — not for violence, not for disruption, but for writing about the protests on Facebook.
But for every door closed, more students stepped forward.