Engineering students from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and other engineering universities clashed with police on Wednesday afternoon while marching toward the Secretariat as part of their “Long March to Dhaka” program.
The students set out from Shahbagh around 1:30 p.m., but police blocked their path near the Hotel Intercontinental intersection. Reports indicate that the students threw stones at law enforcement during the confrontation.
Police responded with baton charges, water cannons, and tear gas, including the use of 8–10 sound grenades. In addition to the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed to control the situation, and army personnel were stationed near the Jamuna entrance to strengthen security.
Earlier in the day, several hundred students had blocked the Shahbagh intersection after gathering at Buet campus in the morning. The march originated from the Shaheed Minar area in front of Buet’s main gate. Students passed through TSC and other landmarks before reaching Shahbagh, where they chanted slogans demanding fulfillment of their three-point agenda.
The students’ demands include:
Preventing diploma engineers from using the title “Engineer” before their names.
Ensuring that diploma engineers are not promoted to the 9th grade.
Allowing only graduate engineers to compete for 10th-grade government positions.
The protesters also called for the arrest of those who threatened a graduate engineer in Rangpur, citing an incident for which a case was filed but no arrests were made. Students warned they would continue their movement until all demands were met.
According to the students, the government has ignored their demands for a long time, leaving them with no option but to take to the streets to press for their rights.
