Students lifted their blockade of the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway in Gazipur after one hour on Tuesday morning, easing severe traffic congestion that had paralysed the busy route.
The blockade caused heavy traffic congestion along a 4–5 kilometre stretch of the highway, leaving long-distance vehicles and daily commuters stranded and facing acute suffering.
Students of the Gazipur Agricultural Training Institute staged the blockade at Salna Bazar area in Gazipur Sadar from the morning, pressing eight-point demands.
Alongside the road blockade, they also boycotted their semester-ending examinations and observed a previously announced “complete shutdown” programme.
Police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the protest. Officers assured the students that their demands would be conveyed to the relevant authorities and that steps would be taken to address the issues. Following the assurance, the protesters withdrew from the highway.
The students said their demands included ensuring opportunities for diploma agricultural graduates to pursue higher education at public agricultural universities, implementation of a minimum 10th-grade pay scale for diploma agriculturalists in private-sector jobs, and provision of field attachment allowances for agricultural diploma students, among other issues.
Traffic movement on the highway gradually returned to normal after the blockade was withdrawn.
