JnU Correspondent :About five thousand students of Jagannath University (JnU) held a solidarity programme with teachers, students and intellectuals on the premises of the Central Shaheed Minar reiterating their demand for construction of residential halls in the abandoned land of the Central Jail in Old Dhaka on Friday. They held the programme with a token dead body covered with a white piece of cloth.The students announced a fresh all out strike on the campus for Sunday and Monday to press home their demand for dormitory. Mahidul Islam Mahim, a spokesman of the agitating students, said, “We will observe all out strike on the campus boycotting classes and examination on Sunday and on Monday for construction of halls in the vacant Dhaka Central Jail. Along with strike, we will arrange cultural programme at the Nayabazar intersection in the city blocking roads.”They threatened to call tougher programme like hartal in case of refusal by the government this time. In the programme, Dhaka University (DU) Professor Dr Rubayat Ferdous, the spokesmen of the Ganajagaran Mancha Imran H Sarker, former Principal of ex-Jagannath College AN Rasheda and Journalist Shusanto Sinha expressed their solidarity with the movement.They said, “The movement is logical. Hall is the fundamental right of the students of a public university. The government should solve the accommodation problem immediately.”Drawing the attention of those, who are against the halls in the abandoned Central Jail premises, they also said that only a university can utilize the atmosphere of that place. “After 1971, such vast peaceful movement did not occur in the country, which is an exemple for all”, they added. In the meantime, Advocate Sultana Kamal, Journalist and Columnist Abu Sayed Khan, and DU Professor Dr Ajay Roy also expressed their solidarity with the movement over telephone. More than five thousand JnU students congregated at the Central Shaheed Minar as per previous decision at 3pm. Holding different banner and pastoons, the demonstrators’ chanted various slogans like “Give us hall or kill us”, “Hall is our basic right” to press home their dormitory demand. The protestors urged the Prime Minister to realize their sufferings and asked her (PM) interference in this regard. Criticising the authority and the teachers of the university, the students said, “There is none to understand their problem.” Sabina Khatun, a protestor, said, “No JnU teacher has come to the programme to understand our problem. In fact, they are not sincere to solve our suffering.”But the student vowed to continue their movement for dormitory until the assurance of the PM.
