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Students of Jagannath University have embarked on a hunger strike demanding the remaining construction of the new campus be handed over to the military and the arrangement of temporary residences for students.
The demonstration was being carried out by 12 students around 10:00 am at Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday, as per a bdnews24.com report.
The students’ demands included the immediate signing of a contract involving the Bangladesh Army taking charge of the new campus plans, the swift start and completion of the construction of steel-based Dr Habibur Rahman Hall and Bani Bhaban in Old Dhaka and assurance of residence allowance for 70 per cent of the students until an accommodation is arranged.
The students who went on hunger strike are AKM Rakib from the Department of Zoology, the president of the Students Rights Council, Md Rashidul Islam of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Sohan Pramanik, Atiqur Rahman Tanjil and Abu Musa from the Department of Islamic Studies, Faisal Murad and Ferdous Sheikh from the Department of Management Studies, Tawhidul Islam and Sujan Chandra Sukul from the Department of Philosophy, Jubair Islam Ryon from the Department of Social Work, Rakib Hossain from the Department of Finance and Raqiul Islam from the Department of Law.
AKM Rakib on Sunday said: “In the movement over handing over the second campus to the military, the ministry clearly said the university administration can hand over the project to the military. But we don’t see any progress from the administration, so we’ve announced this mass hunger strike programme.”
Rakib said the hunger strike would continue until the new campus project is handed over to the army and temporary accommodation is ensured for the students.
Ferdous, one of the protesters, said: “If we can’t meet our basic demands and resolve our residence crisis during the term of this government, we won’t be able to do it ever again. The former fascist government failed to deliver academic facilities, proper accommodation and education environment for the students in Jagannath over the past 18-19 years.”
“This government is the people’s government and is for the revolutionaries, so we hope that they will take our demands into account and promptly take action through discussions with the administration,” he added.
Tanjil said they lost faith in the administration. “No more liaison with the administration. We will claim our rights through the movement Insha Allah.”
The plan for a new campus was first proposed to address the severe overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure of the university's old campus in Old Dhaka. Despite eight years passing, the project has made minimal progress.
Standing at the site of the proposed campus in Keraniganj’s Taghoria, one can only see vast open fields. In the six years since the project began, little has been achieved, and there is no clear timeline for when the project will be completed or when the full-fledged university shown in the design will become a reality.
Even 19 years after the university's transformation, students are still forced to live in the messes of the dilapidated alleys of Old Dhaka. Students from different parts of the country continue to face hall shortages and remain stuck in these conditions year after year. In a situation where completing education itself is a struggle due to financial constraints, students are burdened with additional expenses for mess accommodations. They endure years of difficulties just to complete their education.
To put an end to such hardships, students took to the streets in protest. Responding to their demands, the Awami League government announced in 2016 the establishment of a new 200-acre campus for Jagannath University in Taghoria.
However, eight years later, with no new campus in sight, students have once again taken to the streets, demanding that the interim government replace the previous project director and hand over the construction work to the army. The education ministry has given its approval to the proposal.
The construction of the second campus for Jagannath University began during the Awami League’s tenure, under pressure from student protests.
However, due to continued delays and uncertainty regarding the project’s progress, students called for the remaining work to be transferred to the military.
On November 11, students first blocked Abdul Gani Road’s Education Rights Chattar and later encircled the Secretariat.
Later they met ICT Advisor Nahid Islam, along with relevant officials from the education ministry.
On November 12, a meeting was held with Education Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud, who agreed to the students' demand to hand over the second campus construction work to the army.
Yet, as the project proposal undergoes revisions, the uncertainties surrounding its future have become even more evident.
Jagannath University's new campus in Teghoria has faced repeated delays, with the construction deadline extended four times since its approval.
The original plan included academic buildings, administrative facilities, student housing, a student-teacher centre, a cafeteria, sports fields, a medical centre, a swimming pool, and a lake, aiming to create a modern campus.
On October 03, 2018, the Ministry of Land granted final approval for the land. A few days later, on October 09, the project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, or ECNEC. Jagannath University received a cheque for nearly Tk 9.0 billion in July 2019 to implement the project, which is estimated to cost Tk 19.2 billion.
By January 23, 2020, the university had acquired 188.60 acres out of the total 200 acres designated for the campus. However, it has yet to acquire the remaining 11.40 acres.
On Jan 10, when the students’ demands and complaints were brought to the attention of Md Rezaul Karim, the Vice-Chancellor of Jagannath University, he said: “What did not happen in the 19 years since the university’s establishment will take some time to do now.”
“The military sees the corruption-plagued new campus project negatively. They don’t usually take up such projects. We’re trying to hand over the project to them.”
The VC said; “The UGC is now busy with the seven colleges and we’re in touch with them. They’ve said the file is ready.”
Regarding the hunger strike of the students, he said: “We can’t confirm a specific time. Everything is not really in our hands. The UGC has a lot in their hands and we can’t tell how much time they’d take.”
He said he will call a press briefing to update the students on the matter and will be open to their ideas.