bdnews24.com :
A group of Dhaka University students have gone on hunger strike to demand the closure of the campus amid growing fears over the spread of coronavirus infection.
Four students launched the strike at the altar of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on campus on Saturday night and were joined by another on Sunday morning.
The protesters are Hasan Biswas, Jonaid Hossain, Yasin Arafat Plabon,
Arafatul Osmani and Rakib Rana Masum-all third year students in different departments of the university.
“Although no one in the university has been infected with the coronavirus as of now, we, the students are the most vulnerable. We have to be on the alert everywhere, be it the hostels or classrooms,” Hasan, one of the strikers, told bdnews24.com.
“Bangladesh has already reported a few cases of the coronavirus. Therefore, our campus should be closed before it spreads here. We had to go on hunger strike as it is a grave matter.”
The university authorities are yet to address their concerns, he complained.
“At least 40 of us live in a room that has space for four people. It’s the same in the classroom. The coronavirus spreads rapidly. At least a thousand of us will be infected in an hour if anyone around us catches it. Therefore, we want the university to be closed,” said another protester Junaid.
Another group of students also called on the university authority to temporarily halt academic programmes on the campus and create awareness to prevent the spread of the virus during a human-chain protest on Sunday.
A group of Dhaka University students have gone on hunger strike to demand the closure of the campus amid growing fears over the spread of coronavirus infection.
Four students launched the strike at the altar of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on campus on Saturday night and were joined by another on Sunday morning.
The protesters are Hasan Biswas, Jonaid Hossain, Yasin Arafat Plabon,
Arafatul Osmani and Rakib Rana Masum-all third year students in different departments of the university.
“Although no one in the university has been infected with the coronavirus as of now, we, the students are the most vulnerable. We have to be on the alert everywhere, be it the hostels or classrooms,” Hasan, one of the strikers, told bdnews24.com.
“Bangladesh has already reported a few cases of the coronavirus. Therefore, our campus should be closed before it spreads here. We had to go on hunger strike as it is a grave matter.”
The university authorities are yet to address their concerns, he complained.
“At least 40 of us live in a room that has space for four people. It’s the same in the classroom. The coronavirus spreads rapidly. At least a thousand of us will be infected in an hour if anyone around us catches it. Therefore, we want the university to be closed,” said another protester Junaid.
Another group of students also called on the university authority to temporarily halt academic programmes on the campus and create awareness to prevent the spread of the virus during a human-chain protest on Sunday.
