Train communication between Dhaka and Rajshahi has been suspended after students of Rabindra University staged a rail blockade in Ullapara, Sirajganj, demanding swift approval and full implementation of the Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the construction of the university’s permanent campus.
The blockade began at 9 am on Wednesday at the railway gate of Ullapara Railway Station, where students chanted slogans to press their demands.
Protesters said that although nine years have passed since the university’s establishment, the DPP for building the permanent campus in Shahjadpur upazila has yet to be approved. They claimed they were forced to intensify their movement after repeated demands went unanswered.
The agitation began on July 26, when teachers, students, officers, and staff boycotted the Rabindra University Day program. Since then, they have organized daily protests, including road blockades, street plays, protest songs, symbolic classes, and seminars. On August 8, they held a human chain at Hatikumrul intersection, followed by a highway blockade on Sunday that disrupted road communication between Dhaka and northern Bangladesh for two hours, causing severe traffic congestion.
Ullapara Railway Station Assistant Station Master Monirul Islam said police and railway security personnel have been deployed, and higher authorities have been informed.
The blockade has already affected several scheduled trains. The Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express from Dhaka is currently halted at Jamtoil station, while the Dhaka-bound Silk City Express from Rajshahi is standing at Lahiri Mohanpur station. Other services, including the Silk City Express, Chilahati Express, and Kurigram Express, are also expected to face delays.
