Protesting students block Manik Mia Avenue for an hour

A group of protesters returned to Manik Mia Avenue on Tuesday night, hours after police dispersed an earlier demonstration. 

They blocked part of the road outside the National Parliament soon after Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon expressed regret over his remarks, indicating that fresh examinations could be arranged.

The renewed protest began around 8:30pm, when students regrouped outside the parliament complex after the area had briefly returned to normal following a police baton charge earlier in the evening. 

Protesters blocked both ways of Manik Mia Avenue, bringing traffic to a halt once again.

During the protest, a bus was vandalised. Its windows were smashed while passengers were inside. The driver was injured and a few passengers suffered minor cuts from broken glass, according to witnesses.

By around 9:30pm, the crowd had thinned considerably. About 15 to 20 students remained outside the parliament complex. They continued to block one side of the road, insisting on the education minister's resignation.

Earlier in the evening, around 200 students had gathered outside the National Parliament after marching from the Science Lab area. 

The protest escalated when some demonstrators attempted to move toward the parliament premises. Police initially tried to prevent them from advancing before dispersing the crowd with batons. 

The area was subsequently placed under heavy police security, and traffic resumed for a short period before the students returned.

The renewed demonstration came despite fresh assurances from the education minister in Parliament. 

Milon apologised for his earlier personal remarks that had sparked outrage among students and said the government was considering holding fresh Physics, Accounting and Logic examinations alongside the postponed Chattogram Board exams. 

He also acknowledged complaints that many students had struggled to sit Monday’s examinations after travelling through heavy rain and floodwaters.

The protests were triggered after the government proceeded with Monday's HSC examinations despite widespread flooding and severe waterlogging in many parts of the country. 

Many examinees reported wading through waist-deep water or travelling long distances in difficult conditions to reach examination centres.

Despite the minister's apology and renewed assurances, the remaining protesters maintained that they would continue their movement until their demands – including the education minister's resignation – were met.