A new wave of student protests erupted in Bangladesh on Monday, as agriculture diploma students launched the ‘Agri Blockade’ campaign, staging a sit-in and blocking all gates of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Khamarbari, Dhaka.

Organized under the banner of the Agricultural Diploma Student Rights Movement, the protesters are demanding greater access to higher education and addressing eight additional concerns, according to local media.

On Sunday, similar demonstrations took place in front of the National Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, with students from various agricultural institutions uniting to raise their demands.

The blockade severely disrupted operations at the DAE, with officials and staff unable to enter the premises. The protest also caused heavy traffic congestion in the surrounding areas. Security was tightened, with both police and army personnel deployed on high alert.

Student representative Asaduzzaman Abir told The Dhaka Tribune that around 2,000 students are involved in the movement.

“Across Bangladesh, about 25,000 students are currently enrolled in a four-year diploma course at 18 government Agricultural Training Institutes and 260 private agricultural colleges. These students face ongoing discrimination in access to employment and higher education,” he said.

Key student demands include:

• Allowing diploma agriculturists to pursue higher education at public agricultural universities.
• Addressing the shortage of teachers to improve educational standards.
• Transferring control of agricultural diploma education from the DAE to the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Reforms related to job placement, salary structures, and allowances.

This protest follows a series of demonstrations earlier this week by polytechnic students across the country, who blocked major highways and railway lines, citing attacks on fellow students and pushing a six-point demand.

These student movements are unfolding amid increasing unrest and a strained law and order situation under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh.