Students of Rabindra University have continued their protest by blocking railway tracks at Ullapara Railway Station in Sirajganj, leaving eight trains stranded at both ends.

The stranded trains include seven passenger trains and one freight train. The blockade, which has been ongoing for five hours, has severed rail communication between Dhaka and northern districts.

Demanding the approval of the Development Project Proposal (DPP) for their permanent campus, the students began the blockade around 9am on Wednesday (August 13) in the Ullapara station area. As of filing this report, the programme was still underway.

Western Railway Divisional Transportation Officer Hasina Khatun said severe schedule disruption has already begun due to the prolonged blockade.

She said the stranded trains are the Chitra Express from Khulna halted in Ishwardi, the Kurigram Express in Bhangura, the Chilahati Express bound for Chilahati in Sharatnagar, the Silkcity Express bound for Dhaka in Lahiri Mohanpur, the Ekota Express bound for Dinajpur in Tangail, the Dhumketu Express bound for Rajshahi in Jamtoil, the Rangpur Express bound for Rangpur in Ibrahimabad, and an oil tanker train bound for Dhaka in Chatmohar.

MSK/