Staff Reporter :
Students of seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University (DU) blocked Nilkhet intersection in capital on Wednesday protesting the decision of postponing their ongoing examinations.
Traffic was halted at both ends of the New Market-Azimpur road after the students began their demonstrations at 9.00 am, causing immense sufferings to commuters, especially office-goers.
Adiluzzaman Khan, a businessman and resident of the city’s Azimpur area, said that he had an important business meeting in Mirpur at 11:30am, but was still stuck in Nilkhat area at that time due to road blockade.
“I used to go to office from Mirpur’s Technical intersection to every day by bus. But no bus was in sight even he waited on the spot for more than half an hour due to road blockade,” said Mohammad Shahid who works at a private organization in Savar.
The DU authority announced the suspension of all examinations of its seven affiliated colleges on Tuesday. After this announcement, more than hundred students took to street at Nilkhet intersection around 8pm on same day. Later they left around 10:15pm.
On Wednesday, they took to the street again protesting against DU’s decision and demanding the authorities to reopen their halls.
The agitated students also chanted slogans demanding cancellation of the decision terming it as ‘whimsical’.
“Our fourth-year exams are almost at its final stage. There is no point in postponing the exams now. The exams that were scheduled to end in 2019 have been held due to session jam. How long will we suffer? We are facing extreme uncertainties over our careers,” said Mahmuda Akhter, a student of Eden College. Abu Bakar, a spokesman for the protesters, said: “The sudden postponement of the ongoing exams is outburst against the whimsical attitude of the DU administration. Students of the seven affiliate colleges are rejecting the decision. The ongoing exams have to be taken as per schedule.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Ramna Division) Sajjadur Rahman said that due to the movement of students, people were suffering. Nilkhet is a very important area of Dhaka city. Now the traffic jam spread all over Dhaka and the commuters’ sufferings had reached its peak.
That is why we have requested the students to leave the road to reduce the suffering of the people. But they did not keep our request, he added.
However, the students withdrew the protest and freed the street in the evening after the authorities of the seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University announced holding of the exams on a few conditions.
Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shahid Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Begum Badrunnesa Govt. Girls’ College, Government Bangla College and Government Titumir College became affiliated to Dhaka University in February 2017. The total number of students in these colleges is around 2.0 lakh.
