Gopalganj university students stay on campus, carry on agitation

Defying the closure of the university and the order to vacate the dormitories, the students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University in Gopalganj on Sunday continued their movement for the fourth day to press for removal of its vice-chancellor Khondoker Nasiruddin for his alleged indulgence in corruption and irregularities, and autocratic behaviour.

The protestors asserted that they would continue their agitation until the VC resigned from his position while a good number of teachers joined the agitating students to, what they said, protect them (from possible actions against them).

Gopalganj district units of pro-Awami League Bangladesh Chhatra League and other AL associate bodies extended support to the protestors saying that the ongoing movement at BSMRSTU was logical.

Besides, Humayun Kabir, who resigned on Saturday as assistant proctor of the university, on Sunday said that Saturday’s attack on students took place at the behest of the VC.

‘On Saturday he [VC] called a meeting with the teachers, where he said that he wanted to stop the demonstration anyhow,’ Humayun said, adding that the VC also said that he would announce a vacation and ask the students to vacate the dormitories.

The VC had also said that if the students did not agree to leave the university, the authority would use villagers to make an attack on them, said the former assistant proctor.

Humayun told reporters that he received various threats as he had described all the truths to the media.

Meanwhile, the university authority formed a three-member probe committee to investigate Saturday’s attack on the students that left around 50 students,  including three campus journalists, injured while the VC in a statement condemned the attack, saying that the incident took place at a two kilometre distance from the campus.

In his statement, the VC said that he was strongly condemning the attack on the students, adding that he would ensure that the injured students would get financial help from the student welfare fund which was created by him.

The protestors, however, rejected the probe body, claiming that it was constituted with teachers who supported the VC.

They also termed the VC’s statement as totally ridiculous as the attack took place at his behest.

There is an allegation that the VC was involved in different financial irregularities, including in the construction of the Bangabandhu Mural complex on the campus, the recruitment process and the promotion of teachers.

The VC also suspended at least 20 students for their facebook posts.

Besides, a group of protestors continued their hunger strike at BSMRSTU demanding that the controversial VC must go.

At about 10:00 on Saturday night some 20 teachers from different departments of the university came to the protest venue in front of the administrative building and joined the students, who (the teachers) were still staying with them.

They said that they came to ‘give protection’ to the protesting students.

They further said that they came here as the university authority was not giving them protection.

The probe committee, formed by the university authority, is headed by science faculty dean Professor Abdur Rahim Khan and has been asked to submit its report within five work days.

Law faculty dean Abdul Kuddus Miah has been assigned as the member-secretary of the committee and management department’s assistant professor Shamsul Arefin member of the committee.

At about 1.00 pm on Sunday, the demonstrators caught a man who entered the administrative building illegally and tried to take away some important files of the university. The person held claimed himself to be engineer Naim, a section officer of the university.

At about 2:00pm another person tried to break the lock of the Agrani Bank, BSMRSTU branch, but students also caught that person. The identity of the person could not be ascertained immediately.

Meanwhile, students from different universities including Dhaka University, Khulna University, Chittagong University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Cumilla University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Barishal University and Islamic University, Bangladesh on Sunday staged demonstrations in support of the BSMRSTU protestors and to sympathise with them.

The New Age DU correspondent reported that a group of former BSMRSTU students on Sunday formed a human chain in front of the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture of Dhaka University to press for resignation of VC Khondokar Nasiruddin.

This correspondent further reported that the Muktijuddho Manch, a platform of descendants of freedom fighters, on Sunday demanded removal of the vice chancellor of BSMRSTU alleging that he was using draconian laws at the university.

They, too, made the demand form a human chain at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture of the university.

They burnt an effigy of BSMRSTU VC Khondoker Nasiruddin.

The New Age Cumilla University correspondent reported that students of the university on Sunday formed a human chain demanding resignation of the BSMRSTU VC for his alleged involvement in corruption, irregularities and attacks on students.

The New Age Khulna University correspondent reported that students of  the university, too, formed a human chain on Sunday against the attack on the students of BSMRSTU.

A total of 500 protesters took part in the human chain held at Hadi Chattar on the KU campus.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net