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Students of Barishal University have blocked the Barishal-Patuakhali and Barishal-Bhola highways amid an ongoing hunger strike demanding the removal of Vice-Chancellor (VC) Shuchita Sharmin, causing a traffic congestion.
They blocked the highways around 5pm on Tuesday.
As per the previous announcement, the students gathered outside the university, closing road communications with Patuakhali, Barguna, and Bhola, said Rafiqul Islam, chief of Bandar Police Station of Barishal Metropolitan Police (BMP).
Hundreds of vehicles were stuck on the highways. Police were deployed outside the university.
On Monday, during a solidarity rally and sit-in by teachers, students, and staff, it was announced that the highway would be blocked after 2pm on Tuesday.
Later, around 10pm, VC Shuchita went live on the Facebook group “Linkers in Barishal University” and answered several questions from the students.
However, some students refused to join the Facebook Live and held an emergency press conference at 8:45pm announcing a hunger strike. They started the strike at 11pm.
Five students who were on the hunger strike fell ill around noon on Tuesday. Four of them were shifted to the university’s administrative building and were given saline.
Another one was admitted to the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal.
Although the VC had not been removed by 2pm, the students did not immediately begin their blockade as previously announced.
Instead, a student named Mosharraf Hossain announced a two-hour extension for their demands to be met.
He said, “Students are on a hunger strike demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor. As per our earlier declaration, the deadline was 2pm, but no action has been taken, nor has anyone reached out to us.
“Teachers, officials, and staff are also part of this movement.
“If any harm comes to the students on hunger strike, no one will be able to evade responsibility. We are trying to prevent any unfortunate incident,” Mosharraf said.
He added that the highway blockade was launched after 16 hours of silence from the authorities, despite a two-hour extension granted in hopes of a response.