The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, blockaded Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka on Monday afternoon, protesting alleged mob instigation and disruption of academic environments in educational institutions.
The blockade brought vehicular movement to a complete halt, forcing commuters to proceed on foot.
Shahbagh Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalid Mansur stated that around 4:45pm, thousands of Chhatra Dal activists occupied the streets.
Sources indicate that, per their pre-announced program, Chhatra Dal leaders and activists initially gathered at Nayapaltan in the afternoon before marching toward Shahbagh via the National Press Club.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, speaking to journalists at Nayapaltan, accused a “particular student organisation” of covertly destabilising campus environments for an extended period.
“Despite multiple brutal killings in the past week, this shadow group has deliberately avoided addressing those incidents,” Nasir alleged. “Instead, they’re exploiting the Mitford murder case to mislead ordinary students – even spreading propaganda using the name of BNP’s acting chairman.”
He clarified that the protest march aimed to counter these “malicious motives” and assert Chhatra Dal’s stance, adding, “We have no intention to create unrest.”
