Students renew blockade at Parliament premises amid ongoing HSC exam protests
Protesters demanding the resignation of Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milan paralyzed traffic near the National Parliament building in Dhaka on Tuesday night, marking a sharp escalation in ongoing demonstrations over contentious Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations. Following a police crackdown that dispersed earlier rallies, students regrouped at Manik Mia Avenue after 8:00 p.m., blocking all vehicular movement and effectively cutting off a major arterial route.
The protests intensified throughout the day as students moved across the capital, starting at the Science Lab intersection before shifting their demonstration to the Dhaka University campus and the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education office in Bakshibazar. Students are protesting against the decision to hold HSC exams during periods of heavy rain and waterlogging, while also alleging that physics examination papers were riddled with errors and featured significantly more difficult questions than those administered in previous years.
Tensions flared near the Parliament building when a section of the crowd attempted to breach the security perimeter, prompting police to use batons to scatter the demonstrators. Shortly after regrouping, the situation deteriorated further when a passenger bus was vandalized around 8:40 p.m. While no injuries were reported, the incident disrupted public transport and drew criticism from commuters caught in the gridlock.
Student organizers distanced themselves from the vandalism, asserting that those responsible were infiltrators aiming to discredit the movement. Mirajul Islam, a student from Dhaka City College, told reporters that the demonstrators themselves had detained one individual involved in the bus attack and handed him over to police custody.
Commuters expressed frustration over the chaos, even as some acknowledged the legitimacy of the students' academic grievances. Anwar Mia, a passenger on the targeted bus, stated that while the public often supports reasonable student protests, such acts of violence against transit vehicles are unacceptable. As of Tuesday night, the demonstration remained ongoing, with the protesters continuing to occupy the thoroughfare despite the police presence.
