Three students participating in a long march from Charfassion, Bhola, to Dhaka’s Setu Bhaban have fallen ill after swimming across the Padma River when denied permission to cross the Padma Bridge on foot. The march, which began on November 11 with 20 students, aims to press a five-point demand including the construction of the Bhola-Barishal Bridge, residential gas connections for all households in Bhola, establishment of gas-based industries, a public university, and sustainable embankments. As of Thursday evening, the marchers had covered nearly 300 kilometers and reached Abdullahpur in Munshiganj along the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway. The three ill students—Md. Noman Hawlader, Md. Tanjil, and Md. Mehedi—are receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The remaining participants plan to continue to the National Press Club and later to Setu Bhaban to press their demands.