JU protesters refuse to leave dorms, campus

GBnews24desk//

The protesting teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) vowed to continue their demonstrations, defying authorities’ directives to leave the campus following the shutdown.

The students, who are demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor of the institution, also vowed not to vacate their dormitories.

After the university was shut on Tuesday and the resident students were asked to vacate their dormitories, additional police were deployed on the campus, including in front of the VC’s residence.

Under the banner of ‘Jahangirnagar Against Corruption’, the teachers and students held a solidarity rally on the campus in the morning and tried to lay a siege to the residence of the vice-chancellor in the morning.

Obstructed by police, the demonstrators took position on the road leading to the residence.

Speakers at the rally said VC Prof Farzana has lost her moral right to remain as the VC and even as a teacher when she provoked Bangladesh Chhatra League men to attack the protesters.

From the rally, Associate Professor Rayhan Rhyne, spokesperson of the movement, announced that they would lay a siege to the VC’s residence again in the afternoon.

University’s former Proctor Tapan Kumar Saha said, “It’s unfortunate for the teachers and students of the university that the VC termed the assault on them as mass uprising. Prof Farzana Islam not only should face investigation for corruption but also should be brought under justice.”

As per their announcement from the rally, the teachers and students started for the VC’s residence in the afternoon to lay a siege to it.

However, police obstructed them at the mouth of the road leading to the residence around 5:15pm. They later took position on the road and continued their demonstrations there.

Defying the directives of university authorities to vacate the halls, the students of different residential halls stayed back on the campus, saying that they will not leave the campus, no matter what.

In the morning, the JU authorities asked the resident students to vacate their dormitories by 3:30pm on Wednesday, warning that noncompliance of the directive will invite action.

The protests were launched in August, demanding a judicial inquiry into the reported involvement of the vice-chancellor in corruption and mismanagement of the Tk 1,445 crore campus development project.