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Leftist students have sealed off the main entrance of the Arts Building at Dhaka University as part of their protests against ‘attacks’ by the ruling party’s student wing.
They took position outside the building at 7:00am Monday forcing students and teachers to use the back door of the building and other entrances through the proctor’s office and the dean’s office to reach classrooms.
Later they took out a procession.
The alliance that identifies itself as Progotoshil Chhatra Jote has made four demands—the authorities must open an inquiry and arrest the Chhatra League activists who assaulted demonstrators outside the VC’s office on January 23, withdraw vandalism charges brought against the demonstrators, arrange medical care for those who suffered injuries and arrange the DUCSU polls without further delay.
On January 23, a newly formed alliance of students broke three gates into VC Md Akhtaruzzaman’s offices after parading through the TSC, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Business Studies.
The alliance came into being after Chhatra League activists allegedly assaulted female students at a rally that urged the university authorities to scrap its affiliation with seven Dhaka-based colleges on January 15.
Students went on strike at the educational institutions across the country, said Imran Habib, president of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and convenor of the alliance.
“We are here to protest the attacks on female students and students belonging to the anti-repression group,” said Alamgir Kabir, a student of political science.
The students sealed off the building that houses the Department of Political Science and marched back to the Faculty of Arts. Staffers, however, broke the lock soon after they left.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student front of the BNP, has expressed support for the Progotoshil Chhatra Jote but the alliance did not accept it, said Rajib Das, one of the protesters, reports bdnews24.
“We are not oblivious of how they assaulted female students at Shamsunnahar Hall in 2002.”
BCL men who beat up demonstrators outside the VC’s office on January 23 claimed that they went there to rescue the vice-chancellor who was attacked by “non-students” and confined to his office. The DU authorities have echoed them.
Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League’s student front, is now active with protests against the ‘anti-repression group' and demand the student who “attacked” the VC’s office be expelled.
The Progotoshil Chhatra Jote will hold a press conference on the campus later in the day, said its coordinator Imran Habib Rumon.