Rabindra University students sit on the road demanding permanent campus, North Bengal-Dhaka road communication blocked

Rabindra University students in Shahjadpur, Sirajganj have taken a stand on the road demanding the construction of a permanent campus, blocking the road communication between Dhaka and North Bengal.
On Sunday (August 10), when the students started a blockade in the Dhopakandi area of the Sirajganj highway from 11 am, traffic movement was stopped on the Dhaka-Pabna, Dhaka-Rajshahi and Dhaka-Bogra highways. This created long traffic jams in both the North Bengal-bound and Dhaka-bound lanes, causing extreme suffering to the passengers.

Hatikumrul Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Abdur Rouf said that the students started the blockade at 10:55 am. However, traffic is being diverted around the city via alternative routes.

Earlier, the students had been holding human chains, road blockades and sit-in programs for two weeks demanding approval of the Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the construction of a permanent campus. They recently gave a 48-hour ultimatum in this program, which started on July 26. They blocked the road today as a solution was not found within the stipulated time.

The students said that even after nine years of its establishment, Rabindra University is running its activities in a rented building. Currently, 1,200 students, 34 teachers, 54 officials and 107 employees are teaching in five departments - Bengali, Sociology, Economics, Music and Management. A project proposal of Tk 519 crore 15 lakh was sent in 2025 for the construction of a permanent campus on its own land, but it has not been approved yet.

They warned that the movement will become more severe if prompt approval and effective steps are not taken.