Students of Government Titumir College once again blocked key roads in Dhaka on Monday evening, intensifying their ongoing protests for the college’s upgrade to a university. The renewed blockade began around 6:30 pm on the Mohakhali-Gulshan link road, causing severe traffic disruptions in the area.
Earlier in the day, approximately 2,000 students had blocked the Mohakhali intersection around 11:15 am, demanding the formation of a Titumir University Commission and the official recognition of the college as a university. The protest temporarily subsided after a 12-member student delegation went to the Secretariat for talks with government representatives. However, the situation escalated after the delegation announced a hunger strike outside the Secretariat in the afternoon, prompting students to resume blocking the roads.
As the blockade stretched into the evening, traffic in and around Mohakhali ground to a halt. Vehicles were stuck for hours on major routes, including those leading to the airport, as well as in the nearby areas of Mirpur and Agargaon. Eyewitnesses reported that traffic on Begum Rokeya Sarani was severely impacted, with commuters left stranded or forced to walk to their destinations.
This is not the first time students of Titumir College have staged protests. Over the past few months, they have repeatedly blocked major roads in Dhaka, demanding the government’s intervention to upgrade the institution. Their primary demands include the establishment of a university commission for Titumir College and an upgrade to university status to improve academic standards and opportunities for students.
The ongoing disruptions have drawn attention to the tension between the student body and government authorities. While the students are determined to continue their protests, the public has expressed growing frustration with the traffic chaos caused by the blockades.
In response, the government has not yet made a formal statement on the students’ latest demands or the ongoing protests. It remains to be seen whether any progress will be made in the talks or if the protests will continue to escalate.
