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Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) students have remained firm in their demand for the long-awaited central students’ union (SUCSU) elections, following a High Court order suspending the vote.
In response to the mounting pressure, the university administration confirmed it would move the chamber court to have the stay order vacated.
Following several rounds of meetings with student panels and candidates, the university Vice-Chancellor Prof AM Sarwaruddin Chowdhury pledged to continue the legal fight, bdnews24.com reports.
Protesters, meanwhile, vowed to sustain their movement until the election is held.
The crisis unfolded on Monday evening as a marathon meeting at the administrative building stretched until midnight.
During the standoff, the VC and several senior officials were confined by the demonstrators.
The blockade finally ended at 1:00 am on Tuesday, when the VC, pro-VC, treasurer, and registrar were permitted to leave the premises.
Earlier on Monday afternoon, a High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan issued a four-week stay on the election.
The ruling followed a writ petition filed by three students, including Mominur Rashid Shuvo, an independent vice-president (VP) candidate.
While the university authorities immediately approached the chamber court, no hearing was granted on the day.
Speaking after the late-night meeting, independent general secretary (GS) hopeful Palash Bakhtiar confirmed that the students had blockaded the officials to ensure the administration exerted its “maximum effort”.
"The matter is now out of the administration’s hands and with the High Court," he said. "The administration, however, has assured us it will do everything possible to have the writ dismissed.”
Bakhtiar noted that although there had been a breakdown in trust, students were now satisfied that the VC would remain on campus on Tuesday.
He added that any travel to Dhaka by the university head would be strictly for SUCSU-related legal matters and would only occur with the students' prior knowledge.
The GS candidate also announced that protests would resume at 10:00 am to maintain pressure before the chamber court opens its session at 3:00 pm.
The atmosphere on campus remained tense throughout Monday as students gathered at the university gates even before the High Court’s ruling was made public.
Once the stay order was announced, the administrative building was locked down.
The protesters included different factions, such as the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel, the independent candidates who are part of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-supported panel, and aspirants from an independent alliance.
During the demonstration, VP hopeful Shuvo was declared "persona non grata”.
Abu Saleh Md Nasim, a Bengali department student, said the university would not welcome the individual responsible for halting an election that has been pending for 28 years.
Sajjad Hossain, a Mathematics student, described Tuesday's protest as the "real struggle”, as they awaited the chamber court's decision later in the afternoon.
VC Prof Sarwaruddin reaffirmed his commitment to the student body, saying despite the initial refusal of a hearing, a fresh appeal would be filed on Tuesday.
"I usually succeed in what I undertake," he said. "We will make every effort to vacate the stay order. If the chamber court rules in our favour, it will be possible to hold the election the very next day."
The SUCSU polls, which have not been held since 1997, were originally slated for January 20.