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Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) allegedly vandalised structures at the old trade fair ground in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, on Wednesday, protesting the government’s plan to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat to the site.
The incident took place in the morning as workers were constructing gates and stalls for the month-long Asia International Trade Fair 2026.
According to workers involved in the fair, around 50–60 students suddenly arrived at the site and vandalised several stalls and gates, causing significant financial losses. They also alleged that some materials were taken away during the incident.
The chief construction worker said the fair was a temporary arrangement and that they would have removed the structures if the authorities had asked them to do so.
He claimed that the vandalism had caused substantial damage, with nearly Tk 1 crore invested in the fair preparations.
Several university students said they would not allow the Secretariat to be established at the site. They demanded that the ground be handed over to the university for research purposes.
Mohammad Fazlu, second-in-command of the Tejgaon division police, said the students wanted the field to be used for research rather than for the Secretariat. However, he confirmed that the fair organisers had obtained permission from the relevant authorities to hold the event.
Fair workers alleged that police did not intervene during the vandalism and that no administrative officials arrived at the scene.
Repeated attempts to contact the deputy commissioner of police for the Tejgaon division and the officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station for comments went unanswered.
A day earlier, on Tuesday, students had staged a procession at the site while soil testing was underway for the proposed Secretariat relocation. They reportedly took soil-testing equipment and two vehicles to the university campus.
The students are demanding that ownership of the ground be returned to the university and that no other structures be built or activities conducted there.
