Students of Tejgaon College blocked the Farmgate intersection this morning, demanding justice for a classmate who died yesterday, four days after sustaining injuries in an attack at a dormitory.

The blockade began around 10:30am, and as of 11:30am, traffic movement remained at a standstill in the roads surrounding Farmgate area.

Sakibul Hasan Rana, 18, a class XII student, passed away around noon yesterday in the ICU of a Moghbazar hospital in Dhaka. From the protest scene, Farhan, a student of the college, said, “We want justice for Rana.”

Inspector (Investigation) of Tejgaon Police Station, Ashik Iqbal, confirmed that the students blocked the Farmgate intersection around 10:30am.

The blockade caused severe traffic congestion, leaving commuters stuck for hours.

Mohammad Ashik, an employee of a private firm in Farmgate, said that it took him nearly one hour by bike to reach his office from Karwan Bazar.

Rafi Ibne Monir, another office-goer, had to walk to his office in Farmgate from the Ramna area due to the gridlock.

Yesterday, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam told The Daily Star, “His family took the body to Gazipur… without informing us. We asked them to bring it back for an autopsy.”

He said no case had been filed yet.

According to Morshed Alam Torun, convener of the college unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, a scuffle broke out on December 6 when Rana and other residents protested as several outsiders were taking drugs inside the dormitory. The outsiders left initially but returned about half an hour later and attacked the students, including Rana, he said.

Rana’s classmate Abu Bakar said he was attacked for protesting drug abuse. He claimed that members of both groups involved were associated with Chhatra Dal leaders.