BUET students block Shahbagh protesting ‘unfair’ privileges for diploma engineers

BUET students blocked the Shahbagh intersection around 11am on Wednesday, protesting what they termed as “unjust” privileges granted to diploma engineers. They demanded that certain professional facilities for diploma holders be curtailed.

Engineering students with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from across the country are expected to join BUET students at the key intersection to press home a three-point demand.

Later in the day, a student delegation plans to march towards State Guesthouse Jamuna, the official residence of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, to present their demands, a protest organiser said Tuesday.

The previous day, students from BUET and several private universities had staged a five-hour blockade at Shahbagh until 8pm on the same issue. Students from RUET, CHUET, and KUET are also set to join the demonstration in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Their three demands include: barring diploma engineers from using the title “engineer,” stopping their promotion to the ninth grade of government services, and allowing bachelor’s degree holders to apply for tenth grade positions.