Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 14th July 2026, 11:48 PM
DHAKA — Hundreds of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidates have reassembled outside the Parliament building in the capital on Tuesday evening, introducing fresh disruption shortly after law enforcement personnel used force to scatter them. The students, who are demanding the immediate resignation of the Education Minister alongside two other core demands, blocked the vital Manik Mia Avenue thoroughfare for a second time around 8:15 pm, defying a strict police dispersal that had taken place just two hours earlier.
The ongoing demonstration has triggered severe gridlock across major parts of the city. After occupying Manik Mia Avenue, the protesting students expanded their blockade to the busy road stretching from Khamarbari towards Asad Gate. The sudden influx of demonstrators brought vehicular movement to a complete standstill on both sides of the dual carriageway, forcing commuters to abandon public transport and causing lengthy traffic queues that extended into neighbouring commercial districts.
The unrest originally intensified earlier in the day when the candidates marched from the Science Laboratory intersection, a major traffic hub, to take up positions outside the Parliament building at approximately 6:00 pm. Within half an hour of their arrival, police units deployed to the scene initiated a swift baton charge, chasing and scattering the young demonstrators across the avenue. Despite this initial crackdown, the students regrouped after a brief hiatus, returning with greater numbers to reassert their blockade.
A representative from Tezgaon Mohila College, who was part of the students’ delegation, expressed profound frustration over the official handling of the crisis. According to her statement, security officials requested a small student group to step inside the Parliament building to initiate formal talks with policymakers. However, whilst the representatives were waiting inside, police forces outside simultaneously began using batons to drive away the peaceful gathering.
Protesting students faced sudden police aggression outside parliament whilst their own delegation was inside seeking clear structural answers regarding examinations.
The student delegation spent nearly two hours inside the government building without being granted an audience with any high-ranking official. The lack of dialogue has left the student community in complete limbo, particularly regarding immediate educational schedules. The authorities failed to clarify whether the national examinations scheduled for Wednesday morning would proceed as planned or face an emergency postponement.
The students maintain that their broader campaign will persist until the Education Minister steps down and their remaining administrative demands are fully addressed. Law enforcement personnel remain deployed in significant numbers around the Parliamentary precinct, monitoring the fluid situation as the standoff between the state and the student body threatens to disrupt further public transport networks into Wednesday morning.
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