Students from the seven government colleges affiliated with Dhaka University have resumed their blockade of the Science Lab intersection in the capital, demanding the establishment of a separate autonomous public university.
The protest began at approximately 11am on Wednesday (30 October), resulting in significant traffic disruptions in the area and causing considerable inconvenience to the general public.
The students have stated that they will continue to block the road until the government announces the formation of a commission to address their demands. Throughout the protest, they were seen chanting slogans such as "Affiliation or Liberation, Liberation, Liberation", "Education is not for Profit, I will not accept it", "No More Servitude, We Want Independence", "Let Dhaka University Remain in Its Place, Let the Seven Colleges Be Freed", and "Oppression or Rights, Rights, Rights".
This blockade follows a similar protest on the previous day, where students voiced the same demands.
The students’ key demands include:
1. The immediate formation of a university commission for the seven colleges.
2. The commission should examine various matters and formulate a framework within 30 days.
3. The establishment of the independent university must not lead to any session delays. Until the university is formed, Dhaka University should continue its operations to prevent any session backlog.
The seven government colleges involved are Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shahid Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, Mirpur Government Bangla College, and Government Titumir College.
