Students express conflicting views, protest over JU Fine Art building construction

Students of Jahangirnagar University have expressed conflicting views and demonstrated the construction of the new Fine Art building near a wetland known as a sanctuary for migratory birds.

On Monday afternoon, Fine Art department students held a protest outside the university’s New Registrar Building, demanding the resumption of halted construction work.

Later around 11:30pm, a group of protesting students from other departments took a position there, calling for the suspension of the construction “until the master plan is implemented.”

Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamrul Ahsan said, “We will sit in discussion with everyone present. This issue will be resolved by a meeting with all stakeholders very soon.”

Eyewitnesses reported that Fine Art students had a discussion with the administration after a point of their protest at the scene demanding the resumption of the building’s construction.

The protesters locked the administrative building’s gate when the discussion proved “unfruitful”.

They returned to their halls around 11:15pm.

Fifteen minutes later, more than 100 students from Shaheed Salam Barkat Hall marched to the New Registrar Building, chanting slogans to halt the construction of the building for the Department of Fine Art next to their residence.

The construction of the Fine Art building began in June this year with joint funding from Bangladesh and India.

A group of students opposed the project at that time because the building was being constructed in a place along the water body known as a sanctuary for migratory birds.

Despite protests, at least 150 trees were cut down to begin the construction. Later, a group of students halted the construction of the establishment after the fall of the government in the mass uprising.

On Nov 3, the university authorities temporarily suspended the project following an administrative meeting.

Raid Hossain, a student from the Fine Art department’s 50^th batch who took part in the protest supporting the construction, said: “We are peacefully protesting to resume the building’s construction.

“We are in talks with the administration. Suddenly at night, a group of students stood behind us and chanted provocative slogans targeting us.”

“There were also ‘disrespectful’ slogans directed at one of our teachers. We will continue the protest until our demands are met.”

In opposition, English department student Jahidul Islam Bappi said: “The building cannot be constructed by destroying the life and nature of the university.”

“Construction of the building should begin with the formation of a master plan. At the same time, no building will be allowed to be built with Indian money.”

“Many trees were indiscriminately cut down for construction of the building. For this, the culprits of Awami League such as Fine Art teacher MM Maizuddin must be brought to justice.”

Nazrul Islam Naim, who resides at Shaheed Salam Barkat Hall, said: “We do not want a six-storey academic building in front of our four-storey hall.

“The construction of this building in front of the lake where most of the migratory birds come and sit is a great environmental disaster.”

“The university’s teachers from the urban and regional planning and environmental science departments have repeatedly warned against building here. But the construction of the building was started in the previous regime at the insistence of the project director Maizuddin.”