Students from Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and several other public and private technical institutions blocked Tejgaon’s Satrasta intersection today, protesting a recommendation that would allow BSc engineering graduates to be recruited for the post of sub-assistant engineer.

The blockade began around 12:30pm, halting traffic on the connecting roads and causing heavy congestion in the area, said Mahmudur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Industrial Police Station.

Protesters said diploma engineers have long been eligible for recruitment to the sub-assistant engineer post under the 10th grade, but the latest recommendation to include BSc graduates would limit their opportunities. They demanded that the government withdraw the proposal.

Witnesses said the students first gathered at the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and later marched towards Satrasta.

Zubair Ahmed, one of the organisers of the demonstration, said they took to the streets to oppose what he said the proposal to allocate 33 percent of sub-assistant engineer posts for BSc engineers.

He also called for the dissolution of the committee the government formed to address the concerns of diploma and BSc engineering students.

The protest is ongoing across the country, he said.