"I Will Comment Later," Says Education Minister Milon on Student Protests
Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon has declined to make immediate comments regarding the ongoing countrywide student protests demanding his resignation, citing his schedule inside the ongoing parliamentary session.
Speaking exclusively to The Daily Campus via phone as the demonstrations peaked on Tuesday afternoon, the minister stated:
"I am currently attending the parliamentary session. I will comment on this later."
Agitated Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidates have continued to hold their positions on the road linking Nilkhet to the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) at Dhaka University. Field reports confirm a highly tense standoff, with a heavy deployment of police personnel blocking the protesters, alongside the presence of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists on the DU campus.
When The Daily Campus reached out to the Education Minister to seek his stance on the intensifying countrywide student movement, the minister remarked:
"This is not the time for me to give an interview."
When pressed further by this correspondent on the fact that the demand for his resignation is growing louder across the nation, the minister added:
"Should I give an interview or answer questions in parliament? I will address this by answering questions in the parliamentary session."
Earlier in the day, students from various colleges blocked the Science Laboratory intersection for nearly an hour, protesting the administration's rigid decision to conduct the HSC examinations on Monday despite torrential rains and severe urban waterlogging.
The students subsequently marched toward the university campus, occupying the Nilkhet-TSC route after police intercepted their procession near the Vice-Chancellor's residence around 1:15 PM.