Protesters issue 7-day ultimatum for JU VC’s removal

Teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University who have been continuing their demonstrations pressing removal of their vice-chancellor Farzana Islam on Wednesday issued a seven-day ultimatum for meeting their demand.  

The protesters issued the ultimatum at a press conference at new arts building of the campus at 5:00pm on Wednesday.

The protesters continued demonstrations on Wednesday demanding the vice-chancellor’s removal allegedly for her involvement in corruption although the authorities closed the university for an indefinite time following the November 5 attack on protesters by activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

Addressing the press conference, Ariful Islam Anik, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Union said they issued the ultimatum for removal of the vice-chancellor and within this time the authority should open the university and resume all academic and administrative activities and open the halls of residence by November 21.

‘If the university authority does not open the university and the vice-chancellor is not remove within this time, we will declare tough movement after November 21’, Anik said.

Protesters under the banner of ‘Jahangirnagar against Corruption’ brought out a procession on the campus at around 1:00pm and held a short rally in front of the old administrative building.

Addressing the rally, Oliur Sun, vice-president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union of JU unit said, ‘Chhatra League activists attacked our peaceful and logical movement and the authority closed the university and vacate the hall following the attack but they could not stop our logical movement.’

The vice-chancellor should go not only for corruption but also for the stalemate prevailing on the campus, he added.

Philosophy professor Kamrul Ahsan said, ‘The vice-chancellor and her cohorts don’t want the university will run smoothly, so they closed university. We ask the government to investigate the matter and resolve the crisis.’

Expressing the disappointment, another philosophy professor Rayhan Rayine said, ‘We have been continuing our movement for three months. We already have submitted all of our documents but the University Grants Commission and the education ministry could not form any probe body.’

Among others, anthropology professor Sayed Ferdous, environmental sciences professors Khabir Uddin and Jamal Uddin Runu, Bangla professors Shamima Sultana and Tareq Reza, geography professor Khandakar Hasan Mahmud addressed the programme.   

Protester resumed their movement on Tuesday through a solidarity rally at the campus after two days interval for bad weather.

Jahangirnagar University plunged into a crisis in the wake of the student protests in August demanding a judicial enquiry into the reported involvement of the vice-chancellor in corruption and mismanagement of a Tk 1,445-crore campus development project.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net