Jagannath University students lock administrative building to stage protests

Student protesters of Jagannath University have locked the administrative building over a three-point list of demands, including the authorities handing over the construction of the second campus in Keraniganj’s Tegharia to the army.

The protesters led a procession and marched around the campus before gathering at the administrative building around 12pm on Tuesday. At one point, the agitated students locked the building. However, they removed the padlock at 1pm after presenting their demands.

They announced a 24-hour ultimatum for Syed Ali Ahmed, the project director of the Jagannath University second campus construction project, who was recruited during the Awami League regime, to resign.

Rakib, a student of the Botany Department and an organiser of the movement, said the students would continue to protest until their demands were met. If needed, they would opt for a ‘hunger strike till death,’ he said.

Some protesters threatened to shut down the university.

They were stationed near the administrative building and chanted different slogans for the transfer of the construction work and against the tender business and irregularities.

“By the grace of Allah, we’ll materialise our demands. It may happen that the vice-chancellor will express solidarity with our demands and then use a carrot on a stick by showing us excuses of rules and regulations again,” said Taisib Mahmud Sohan, a spokesperson of the movement and a student of the Department of Physics. The student would not withdraw, he said.

He said the general students of the university gave an ultimatum of 24 hours for Project Director Syed’s resignation. They would not take responsibility for any untoward incident if the situation escalates.

”We’ll not step back until our three-point list of demands are met. If needed, we’re ready to shed fresh blood, just the way we did during the July movement.”

The first demand is to bring the project director recruited during Sheikh Hasina’s rule to justice, handing over the construction work to the skilled army officers and the education ministry to announce the handover process to clarify it.

The second demand was to immediately acquire another 11 acres of land needed for the campus.

Their third demand was to scrap all contracts related to the old campus signed during the last government’s regime.

“Jagannath University administration is so lame that they could not acquire the required land in so many years. They turned the students into garment workers. We travel to and from the campus like the garment workers. We won’t let this go on. We took to the streets to realise our rights and will never give in. If needed, we’ll go on hunger strike till death,” said Rakib, organiser of the movement.

“I’ll request the administration to accept the logical demands raised by the general students. Otherwise, we’ll be compelled to shut down the university,” Riazul Islam, office secretary of the JnU division of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

“The university administration has put a carrot on a stick before us. We don’t buy all this drama. All we want to tell you is - this is a trailer and the picture is still not over, my friend,” said Masud Rana, a student of the Department of Physics.