City commuters faced severe disruption as blockades at several points in Dhaka brought traffic to a standstill, causing widespread suffering and delays.
They were forced to seek alternative routes to reach their destinations on Wednesday.
Students from seven colleges blocked the Science Lab, Technical, and Tatibazar intersections in Dhaka around 11am, demanding the issuance of a final ordinance to establish the proposed Dhaka Central University.
The seven colleges are Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls’ College, Government Titumir College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, and Government Bangla College.
The students expect that the updated draft of the “Dhaka Central University Act 2025” will be approved in the interim government’s advisory council meeting and that the final ordinance will be issued on behalf of the president simultaneously.
Additionally, students of Tejgaon College blocked Indira Road and the Farmgate area, demanding justice for the murder of their fellow student Sakibul Hasan Rana. They began the blockade at the down‑ramp of the Elevated Expressway around 11:35am.
Due to the blockade, traffic movement on city roads came to a halt in the area. This caused severe gridlock, leaving passengers and drivers in extreme distress. Vehicular movement in Islampur, Mitford Hospital, and Banglabazar areas also came to a halt.
On the night of 6 December, clashes repeatedly broke out between two groups of Chhatra Dal at the Tejgaon College dormitory. In this incident, Tejgaon College students Rana and Hridoy Ahmed were seriously injured. They were immediately admitted to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.
As their condition deteriorated, Rana was taken to a private hospital in Malibagh, where he died on 10 December while undergoing treatment.
