Dhaka: Students of different private universities are staging demonstrations at different places in the city on Thursday protesting at the VAT imposition on the tuition fees of the private universities, causing disruption to vehicular movement.

Earlier on 4 July, the National Board of Revenue issued a notification imposing 7.5% Valued Added Tax (VAT) on the tuition fees of the private universities and medical colleges.  

In Uttara, students of several universities, including Uttara University and Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology took to the street in front of North Tower at about 11:00am.

Traffic on both sides of the Airport-Tongi road came to a halt.

In Dhanmondi, students of Stamford University took to the street on Dhanmondi 27 no. Road around 11am protesting the government’s move to impose 7.5% VAT on the tuition fees of the private universities.

At Rampura Bridge, several hundred students of East West University (EWU) brought out a possession on the road in front of the main gate of the university in Aftabnagar at about 11:30am, halting transport movement through the bridge.

In Bashundhara, vehicular movement on the Kuril Biswa Road in the city was disrupted as students of North South University (NSU) blocked the road protesting the imposition of VAT on the tuition fees of the private universities.

In Mohakhali, students of BRAC University staged demonstration on the Gulshan 1-Mohakhali road at about 10:15am.

They chanted slogans against the VAT imposition on tuition fees, reports our correspondent from the spot.

On Wednesday, a clash took place between police and the EWU students when the latter were staging demonstration in front of their university near Rampura Bridge at about 2:00pm protesting the government’s move to impose 7.5% VAT on the tuition fees of the private universities.  The clash left at least 10-15 people injured.