Assam: Road closure blocks school access for hundreds of Dhubri students, sparks protest

Hundreds of students in Dhubri staged a silent protest on Thursday after a key road connecting the Char areas to major educational institutions was barricaded by the district administration.

 

The blockade, enforced with bamboo barricades at Dhubri Kachari Ghat, has disrupted daily commutes for students who rely on the route to reach schools and colleges in town.

 

The protest, which concluded in front of the District Commissioner’s office, focused on what students call a violation of their legal right to education. They argued that the road closure directly contravenes the Right to Education Act by cutting off access to essential public education facilities.

 

Students from institutions including Government Boys' Higher Secondary School, Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Dhubri Girls Academy, Dhubri Municipal High School, Netai Dhubani College, Dhubri Girls College, and Vidyasagar College participated in the protest. Many of these students travel daily from the Char areas—riverine islands in the Brahmaputra—using the now-closed Kachari Ghat route as their main link to town.

 

The closure, enacted without prior notice or clear justification, has left students and parents scrambling for alternatives. Some students reported missing multiple days of classes, raising concerns over academic disruption and long-term educational setbacks.

 

Protesters called on the administration to reconsider the move, warning that continued closure would deepen educational inequality for already marginalised communities.