A nationwide student unrest erupted on Tuesday as protesters demanded Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon’s resignation after just five months in office, blocking roads, clashing with police and attacking education offices with bricks and stones across Dhaka and beyond.
Following a day-long protest in the capital, a group of youths tried to storm the Parliament Building but were dispersed by police wielding batons. The group had earlier blocked major roads and clashed with officers for several hours.
The Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) faced vandalism of the protesters.
Tuesday’s demonstrations gridlocked traffic in key areas of Dhaka and major highways for hours, causing severe disruption for commuters, pedestrians, and patients in ambulances. In some areas, all vehicles except emergency services were halted.
The protests erupted after officials decided to proceed with Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations despite devastating floods and relentless rainfall.
Public anger was further fuelled by a leaked phone call in which the minister allegedly referred to students as “farm chickens”.
Demonstrations also shook Chattogram, Rajshahi, Barishal, Cumilla, Natore, and Gaibandha. In Naogaon, protesters vowed to block the minister from inaugurating Naogaon University.
While examinations under the Chattogram Board were postponed due to severe waterlogging and flooding, exams elsewhere went ahead. Students faced harrowing journeys to exam centres, sparking fierce backlash from candidates and guardians alike.
Social media photo card ignited protest
Following Monday’s severe travel disruptions, an anonymous photo card circulated widely on Facebook. It demanded the immediate resignation of the education minister and urged students to gather at Dhaka’s Science Laboratory intersection at 11:00 am on Tuesday. Featuring the singular, direct ultimatum, “One-point, one-demand: resignation of the education minister,” the digital flyer also contained a noticeable spelling error in its appeal to “students of all neighbouring colleges and the general public.”
By 11:30 am, approximately 50 students wearing identity cards from Ideal College, Dhaka City College, and Bangabandhu College converged to block the road near the Science Laboratory police box. Within 30 minutes, their ranks swelled as another 200 to 250 youths joined the demonstration.
The crowd chanted highly offensive slogans targeted at the minister, provocative language that has remained a subject of intense public debate and criticism since the August 2024 uprising.
The demonstrators then marched through the Nilkhet intersection near New Market towards the vice-chancellor’s bungalow of Dhaka University.
Although they proceeded initially without obstruction, police eventually halted them.
At the time, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was attending an event at the university’s Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban, situated a mere 500 metres away.
A tense verbal confrontation quickly escalated into pushing and shoving, with the students chanting “fake, fake” at the police.
The situation grew more volatile when activists from the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of ruling BNP, led by General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir arrived at the scene. Heated exchanges erupted, and a Chhatra Dal leader disparaged the demonstrators, saying, “There is nothing more to say to them. They are drug addicts and TikTokers.” This comment incited immediate anger, raising fears of violent clashes. Police intervened, working alongside Chhatra Dal activists to escort the protesters off the campus.
Undeterred, the protesters marched to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) building, pelting the gates with bricks and stones. Scuffles with law enforcement continued before the group returned to block the Science Laboratory intersection again in the afternoon.
Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (Lalbagh Division) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told TIMES of Bangladesh, “We have requested the students to remain calm to maintain stability.”
In the afternoon, protesters from the Science Laboratory intersection rushed towards the Parliament Building, where several people were injured during police baton charges.
Mohammad Akkas Ali, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Tejgaon division, told TIMES, “When the students tried to breach the Parliament building grounds, the police resorted to baton charges to bring the situation under control. They were subsequently diverted towards Asad Gate.”
Simultaneously, another group of protesters blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway near the BNS Centre in Uttara, paralysing traffic for several hours.
A DMP Uttara division traffic official confirmed that the blockade caused severe tailbacks stretching back to the Nikunja residential area.
Highways blocked
In Barishal, students blocked the Dhaka-Barishal Highway following a protest outside the local education board office, causing kilometres of gridlock.
The disruption worsened as long-distance services and buses on 14 local routes from the Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal were suspended.
Meanwhile, in Gaibandha, an “HSC students” march wound through the town before halting traffic at Railgate1.
In Rajshahi, hundreds of protesters breached the education board premises, chanting, “Disaster and examinations cannot go together,” and mockingly, “Who are you? Who am I? Farm chicken, farm chicken.” A student delegation later submitted a memorandum to Board Chairman Shamima Ara Chowdhury.
In Cumilla, students staged a sit-in at Kandirpar Pubali Chattar before marching on the education board, where officials attempted to defuse the situation.
Over in Naogaon, students formed a one-hour human chain outside the district education building, warning they would block the minister from entering the campus for Naogaon University’s inauguration on 18 July.
Finally, in Chattogram, hundreds of candidates demonstrated outside their education board office in Muradpur, temporarily paralysing the Bahaddarhat-bound lane of CDA Avenue.
Milon apologises, defends decisions in parliament
The education minister faced intense questioning in parliament on Tuesday afternoon over the controversial decision to proceed with the HSC examinations.
Responding to a query from independent MP Rumeen Farhana, the minister explained, “Relevant authorities had informed us that the weather would remain favourable. Therefore, the examinations were kept on schedule.”
He further detailed emergency measures taken during the floods, “On the day of the examination, when water accumulated on the grounds of Cumilla Government Women’s College in the morning, the mayor, fire service, police, and deputy commissioner immediately helped transport candidates by boat to the five-storey examination building. As some students’ clothes became wet due to the temporary disaster, alternative clothing was arranged, the examination started one hour late, and their examination time was extended.”
The minister emphasised that local administrations had been granted full authority to suspend or delay examinations during emergencies. He also urged protesting students to clear the streets and return to their studies.
Addressing concerns over errors in examination papers, he stated: “Where mistakes occurred at examination centres, examinations will be held again if necessary. Full marks will be awarded for the two incorrect questions in Physics.”
The minister mentioned that local administrations had been granted full authority to postpone or suspend exams if necessary during disaster situations.
Later, during an unscheduled discussion, Milon addressed the leaked telephone conversation. “I did not mean to cause offence to anyone. If anyone was hurt, I simply offer my apology,” he said.
The parent of a candidate from the capital’s City College had called the minister on WhatsApp, arranging for him to speak to their daughter. The conversation was recorded on another mobile phone and subsequently shared on social media. In the video, the minister can be heard commenting on the physical resilience of the candidates: “They are like battery-farmed chickens. A little bit of rain and they catch a fever.”
