The students of Rabindra University Bangladesh on Wednesday blocked the Dhaka-Ishwardi rail line for around six hours demanding their permanent campus.
As the rail communications between Dhaka and north-western districts of the country snapped for hours due to the protest, passengers suffered immensely in different stranded trains and at different stations.
The students are scheduled to block the Dhaka-Rangpur-Rajshahi national highway and Dhaka-Rajshahi rail link today (Thursday).
Earlier the students, teachers, officials and employees of the university started the 19-day protest on July 26 through boycotting the events marking the Rabindra University Bangladesh Day.聽
The protesters demanded approving the detailed proposal for the project to construct a permanent campus for the university and implementing the project immediately.
Earlier the protesters blocked the Bogura-Nagarbari highway beside the temporary campus of the university and Dhaka-Rangpur highway, staged road play and other held other activities including symbolic classes and seminar on roads.聽聽
On Wednesday at around 9:00am, a section of the university students blocked the Dhaka-Ishwardi rail line at Ullapara station in Sirajganj, said the station master Md Monirul Islam.
He said that no unwanted incident took place as the protest was peaceful. Ullapara police and railway police stood guard at the rail station to protect the rail property, he added.
Following the prescheduled rail blockade, Dhumketu Express on Dhaka-Rajshahi route stranded at Jamtoli station, Rangpur Express on Dhaka-Rangpur route stranded at Saydabad station, Ekota Express on Dhaka-Panchagarh route stranded at Ibrahim bus station area, Silk City on Rajshahi-Dhaka route stranded at Lahiri Mohonpur area, Chilahati Express on Dhaka-Chilahati route stranded at Sharatnagar area and Kurigram Express on Dhaka-Kurigram route was stranded at Bhangura station.
At around 10:00am, Ullapara upazila nirbahi officer Abu Saleh Mohammad Hasnat and Ullapara police officer-in-charge Raqibul Islam went to the spot and requested the students to withdraw the blockade.
The students, however, continued the blockade amid rain.
Passengers in these stranded trains and at different stations at northern and western districts of the country had to wait hours till the blockade was finally lifted six hours later at around 3:00pm.
Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 Dhaka divisional railway manager Mohiuddin Arif said that as the train movement between Dhaka and north and western districts was closed for six hours, all trains on these routes were running behind their schedules.
Journey of no trains was cancelled, he added.
Meanwhile, the university鈥檚 teachers, officials and employees also expressed solidarity with the protest.
The protesting students from the blockade said that the university did not get permanent campus in the past nine years while the proposed project cost decreased to Tk聽519 crore from around Tk聽10,400 crore following seven revisions.聽
On July 26, the detailed project proposal had been presented at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council where it was not approved, they said.
The students also alleged that some local influential persons grabbed the proposed university campus land and some vested quarters were trying to protect them.
As the government is yet to give any positive response, they would continue their nonstop protest till their demand is met, they said.