Two students were injured while attempting to swim across the Padma River after authorities denied them permission to walk over the Padma Bridge during a long march from Bhola to Dhaka. The march, now on its ninth day, began on November 11 with around 20 students demanding the construction of the Bhola-Barishal Bridge, residential gas connections, establishment of gas-based industries, a public university, and sustainable embankments. After walking about 260 kilometers, the participants reached the Jajira end of the Padma Bridge but were stopped from crossing on foot. As a result, some tried to swim the roughly six-kilometer stretch of the river, leading to two being hospitalized. Earlier, one other participant had also fallen ill. The marchers plan to continue to Dhaka’s Setu Bhaban to stage a sit-in protest, accusing authorities of ignoring their demands and criticizing the government for failing to address regional infrastructure needs.