Staff Reporter :
All students left the residential halls after Jahangirnagar University (JU) called in police to vacate dormitories by the 3:30 pm deadline on Wednesday.
The Provost Committee took the decision yesterday morning amid ongoing protests against the Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Farzana Islam for alleged corruption, said Professor Bashir Ahmed, Provost of Sheikh Hasina Hall.
“After that, we sought help from the police to vacate the halls,” the Provost said.
But dozens of the students have sit-in in front of the VC office guarded by the demonstrating teachers. Although police personnel cordoned off the VC office to create a barricade against the protesters from entry into the old Registrar Building where VC office is situated, reports Our JU correspondent, quoting protesters and police.
After hall vacating, the protesters likely to announce the fresh program today (Thursday) to press home their demand, they said.
Earlier, the JU authorities shut down the university on Tuesday for an indefinite period after activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) attacked protesters who demanded Farzana Islam’s resignation
But the move did little to quell the unrest as students and teachers continued their protest on Wednesday.
They gathered on the campus’ Murad Chattar around 9:00 am and drove out the staff and officials
from the new administrative building.
More than one hundred students brought out a procession from Murad Chattar at 10:30 am demanding the VC’s resignation. They chanted slogans against the decision to close the halls and Chhatra League’s attack on protesters.
“We’ll cintinue our protest programme ahead step by step. We can’t share our course of action at the last moment as the halls are being vacated and students are not safe in the hands of the university administration,” said Prof Raihan Rayeen, a spokesperson for the protesters.
Acting Proctor ASM Feroz Ul Hasan, however, claimed the protest rally and procession were ‘illegal’.
“The highest administrative body of the university syndicate ordered the students to vacate halls and leave the campus. It is illegal and in violation of the law to defy the decision and stage rallies and processions. I urge them all to follow the law,” he added.
Earlier, defying authorities’ directives to leave the campus following the shutdown of Jahangirnagar University (JU) for an indefinite period, teachers and students continued their demonstrations on Tuesday, demanding the removal of its VC Prof Dr Farzana Islam on corruption charges.
The demonstrating students also vowed not to vacate their dormitories.
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.
After the university was shut and the resident students were asked to vacate their dormitories, huge police were deployed on the campus, including in front of the VC’s residence.
In the morning, the agitating teachers and students held a solidarity rally in front of the Academic Building to press home their demand for the removal of the VC.
Speakers of the rally said, Professor 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.
“We will declare the fresh program today (Thursday) to press home the demand,” the spokesman said.
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 to 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 would 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, giving warning that noncompliance of the directive will invite action.
The protests began 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.
It was alleged that the VC managed the leaders of the JU unit BCL with Tk 1.6 crore from the development fund.
All students left the residential halls after Jahangirnagar University (JU) called in police to vacate dormitories by the 3:30 pm deadline on Wednesday.
The Provost Committee took the decision yesterday morning amid ongoing protests against the Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Farzana Islam for alleged corruption, said Professor Bashir Ahmed, Provost of Sheikh Hasina Hall.
“After that, we sought help from the police to vacate the halls,” the Provost said.
But dozens of the students have sit-in in front of the VC office guarded by the demonstrating teachers. Although police personnel cordoned off the VC office to create a barricade against the protesters from entry into the old Registrar Building where VC office is situated, reports Our JU correspondent, quoting protesters and police.
After hall vacating, the protesters likely to announce the fresh program today (Thursday) to press home their demand, they said.
Earlier, the JU authorities shut down the university on Tuesday for an indefinite period after activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) attacked protesters who demanded Farzana Islam’s resignation
But the move did little to quell the unrest as students and teachers continued their protest on Wednesday.
They gathered on the campus’ Murad Chattar around 9:00 am and drove out the staff and officials
from the new administrative building.
More than one hundred students brought out a procession from Murad Chattar at 10:30 am demanding the VC’s resignation. They chanted slogans against the decision to close the halls and Chhatra League’s attack on protesters.
“We’ll cintinue our protest programme ahead step by step. We can’t share our course of action at the last moment as the halls are being vacated and students are not safe in the hands of the university administration,” said Prof Raihan Rayeen, a spokesperson for the protesters.
Acting Proctor ASM Feroz Ul Hasan, however, claimed the protest rally and procession were ‘illegal’.
“The highest administrative body of the university syndicate ordered the students to vacate halls and leave the campus. It is illegal and in violation of the law to defy the decision and stage rallies and processions. I urge them all to follow the law,” he added.
Earlier, defying authorities’ directives to leave the campus following the shutdown of Jahangirnagar University (JU) for an indefinite period, teachers and students continued their demonstrations on Tuesday, demanding the removal of its VC Prof Dr Farzana Islam on corruption charges.
The demonstrating students also vowed not to vacate their dormitories.
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.
After the university was shut and the resident students were asked to vacate their dormitories, huge police were deployed on the campus, including in front of the VC’s residence.
In the morning, the agitating teachers and students held a solidarity rally in front of the Academic Building to press home their demand for the removal of the VC.
Speakers of the rally said, Professor 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.
“We will declare the fresh program today (Thursday) to press home the demand,” the spokesman said.
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 to 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 would 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, giving warning that noncompliance of the directive will invite action.
The protests began 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.
It was alleged that the VC managed the leaders of the JU unit BCL with Tk 1.6 crore from the development fund.
