Bangla Blockade: Train movement in Dhaka halted as students block rail tracks

Students and job aspirants blocked the railway line in Dhaka as part of their protest demanding the abolition of the quota system in first- and second-class government jobs, halting train communication.

Students from various educational institutions blocked several roads and railways from the morning of the third day of the Bangla Blockade program. Key roads, including Shahbagh, Science Lab, Banglamotor, Farmgate, Agargaon, and Mohakhali in the capital, were blocked in the morning.

Around 12:30 pm, students placed wooden logs on the Karwan Bazar railway gate and Mohakhali rail crossing, stopping train communications between Dhaka and the rest of the country. Kamalapur railway police station Officer-in-Charge Fardous stated, "Around 12:30 pm, the quota reformist students blocked the railway by placing wooden logs. We arrived here quickly to prevent any untoward incidents." He added that the blockade temporarily halted train communication, but efforts were being made to normalize operations quickly.

In the afternoon, at Karwan Bazar and Mohakhali railway gate areas, students were seen blocking the railway with various wooden logs and bamboo on the tracks. They also blocked railway crossing gates with barricades, stopping any vehicles from passing through, although ambulances and vehicles carrying patients were allowed to pass.

The protesting students said that the railway blockade was part of their pre-announced program and vowed to continue their movement until their demands were met, promising to intensify their actions gradually.

Nusrat Jahan Tisha, a student of the Social Welfare Department of Dhaka University, expressed, "Our logical movement must be accepted. Why should there be so much discrimination in government jobs in an independent country? According to the constitution, the quota system is to uplift the disadvantaged. However, the government is pushing the entire nation back."

Protesting students also blocked various important roads in the capital, as well as the Dhaka-Aricha highway and various other roads and highways across the country.