Students took to the streets in Dhaka after a day-long traffic jam to mourn the death of a colleague in a road accident.
However, they have vowed to resume protests if their demands, including justice for the slain students and reduction of bus fares, are not met.
Protesters on Thursday afternoon said they would take to the streets again at 11am on Saturday if authorities did not comply with their demands.
Students have been protesting for several days in Dhaka for half bus fare. The death of Notre Dame College student Naeem Hasan, who was killed in a City Corporation car crash on Wednesday, has added a new dimension to the ongoing protests.
Dhaka, known for its heavy vehicles, was virtually paralyzed by protests on Thursday. At around 10 am, protesters blocked the main roads in Farmgate, Gulistan and Shantinagar, causing traffic jams.
Hundreds of Notre Dame College students took to the streets and blocked traffic on Gulistan Field. Later, they staged a protest in front of the Nagar Bhaban at the Dhaka South City Corporation head office demanding the trial of Mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh Naeem.
Later, at around 4 pm, the mayor met the protesters and expressed solidarity with them. At the end of his speech, the students left under the supervision of the teachers
Meanwhile, garment factory workers protested in Mirpur-13. The blockade of student-workers caused massive traffic jams on Motijheel, Paltan, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Farmgate and Mirpur Road and Airport Road.
The road from Bailey Road to Shantinagar was closed for several hours after students of Vikarunnisa Noon School and College blocked it.
Arund 11 pm, three more students of the college blockaded the Farmgate area. They blocked a bus of Dhaka Metropolitan Police for an hour as they could not show their driver's license.
The traffic was so bad that Ibrahim Mia, a bus driver on the airport-Gulistan route, said he went to Gulistan once in the morning but could not.
Ashraf Ali, who operates a car for the ride-hailing service Uber, said he dropped off a passenger at Gulshan and then hired a passenger to go to Newmarket, but could not reach the destination. Instead he had to go to Agargaon via Vijay Sarani.
Google Maps shows thick red lines of traffic near Motijheel and Farmgate, which means that traffic in those areas is almost stopped.
Google also indicated that roads in Farmgate and Gulistan were blocked.
Naeem, a second-year student of the college, was killed when a garbage truck hit him in front of Gulistan Hall Market on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old lived with his family in Jhaolahati of Kamrangirchar. He was the youngest member of the family.
Hundreds of Notre Dame College students rushed to Gulistan on Wednesday to protest Naeem's death.
Truck driver Russell Khan has been arrested in a case under the Road Transport Act. Authorities said Russell was a cleaner and the designated driver of the car let him drive it.
Paltan Police Station OC Mohammad Salauddin said police produced Russell in court and sought a seven-day remand. Prosecutor Azad Rahman said Judge Russell had been taken into police custody for three days for questioning.
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