JnU Correspondent :At least 50 students of Jagannath University (JnU) were injured, 10 of them seriously including three female students, as police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to foil a procession towards the Prime Minister’s Office to submit a memorandum demanding new residential halls on Monday. Being barred, the students announced a fresh all-out strike on the campus for today (Tuesday) and Wednesday in protest against the brutal assault on them by police. Rashedul Islam, on behalf of the agitating students, said, “We want to walk peacefully towards Prime Minister Office to draw her kind attention to our demands, including construction of residential halls on the vacant land of the moved-out Dhaka Central Jail. But the law enforcers have thwarted our movement beating us mercilessly with the collaboration of the university authorities.”He also said, “We will observe all-out strike on the campus boycotting classes and examination for Tuesday and Wednesday in protest against the heinous police attack.” Rashedul demanded resignation of the university proctor, Dr Noor Mohammad, as he was not able to protect them. “Instead of expressing solidarity with the students, the proctor induced the police to attack on the protesters,” he said. In the morning, the demonstrators wanted to march towards PM’s Office but police foiled their attempt at Nayabazar area in the city. According to eyewitnesses, several thousand students of JnU gathered in front of the university Shaheed Minar around 9.30am and as per previous decision, they started to march towards PM’s Office but they were barred by police when they crossed Roy Shaheb Bazar intersection. The law enforcers dispersed them, using water cannons, firing teargas shells, rubber bullets and charging baton on them. As a result over 50 students were injured; among them ten including three female students received serious injuries. The serious injured students were identified as Afzal, Eqra, Mosina, Bashar, Mithun Roy, Tawfiq, Prosenjit, Animesh, Shafiqul, and Khairunnessa. They were rushed to the Sir Salimullah Medical College and Midford Hospital for treatment. However, Tawfiq and Mithun were sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.Later, the students staged a sit-in programme in the area and blazed tires and timbers blocking the Gulistan-Sadarghat road. Holding different banners and festoons, they chanted slogans like “Take blood but give us hall”, “Give us hall or kill us”. The protestors blocked the road for four hours halting traffic in the old part of the city. Kotwali Thana Senior ASP Shahen Shah Mahmud said, “We are trying to soothe the students and asked them not to march but when they smashed our barricade, we coerced to disband them for the safety of the passersby.””Extra police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order,” he said. “Despite the obstacles of the university authorities, we will continue our movement for dormitory until the assurance of the Prime Minister,” said Jannat Shah Mitu, a student of Islamic History and Culture Department.”The university authorities treat us like step-mothers. Even today, they do not meet our single demand. Rather, they made obstacles on our peaceful programme,” she said. Rebuffing the allegation, JnU Proctor Dr Noor Mohammad said, “The university authorities are working heart and soul to keep a sound atmosphere on the campus and to resolve the students’ problem.” He urged the students to continue their academic activities along with the movement. Meanwhile, JnU Teachers Association (JnUTA), pro-Awami League Teachers Association (Neel Dal), Bangladesh Chhatra League, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Progressive Students Alliances of the university unit protested the police attack on the students and expressed solidarity with the movement. Since August 1, the JnU students have been demonstrating allotment of lands on the abandoned premises of Central Jail in Old Dhaka for residential halls named after Bangabandhu and four National Leaders.
