The demonstrating students of five departments of Islamic University (IU) on Wednesday afternoon withdrew their ongoing fast unto death programme until April 30 next, after Vice-Chancellor Harunur Rashid Askari along with IU thana OC Ratan Sheikh assured them of releasing the 22 students detained in the previous night.
The VC also assured the students of fulfilling their demand of students fulfilling their demand of giving engineering technology degree under their respective departments.
Earlier in the morning, the university authorities banned all kinds of processions and meetings on the campus after 22 students of the university were detained by district SB Police at the wee hours of Wednesday while staging an indefinite hunger strike to press home their demand of engineering technology degree. Apprehending troubles, the university authorities imposed the restriction, IU acting proctor Anisur Rahman said.
The decision came on Wednesday against the backdrop of an on-going hunger strike by a group of science faculty students to press home their demand, he added.
He further said, “All the students are asked to bring their identity card, otherwise they won’t be allowed to enter the campus.”
A group of students of science faculty, however, continued their hunger strike unto death to press home their demand denying the ban of the IU authority.
Mentionable, a team of district SB Police detained the students around 4:00am Wednesday breaking open the gate of MA Wazed Mia science building on the campus of the university. Confirming the news on Wednesday morning, Md Mustafizur Rahman, district additional police super, said additional police have also been deployed on the campus to avert unwanted situation. The detainees were sent to SB office in Kushtia for hearing the issues and they will take action against them after finding decision from the university authority, he added.
Students said a group of 300 students from five departments including electrical and electronic engineering department, applied chemistry and chemical engineering department, computer science and engineering department, information and communication engineering department and biomedical engineering department started an indefinite hunger strike demanding engineering technology degree under their respective
faculties. Confining Engineering Technology faculty dean Dr Momtazul Islam and student’s adviser Prof Dr Poresh Chandra Barman inside their offices, the agitated students launched the hunger strike at MA Wajed Science Building from Tuesday noon to press their demand.
After sporadic discussion with agitating students failed, the university authorities called for police after Tuesday midnight, to ‘rescue’ the confined teachers.
The professors remained confined for 16 hours before a team of SB Police accompanied by former proctor Mahbubur Rahman, being called by the university authorities, broke open the door of the building, rescued the professors and detained 22 students.
Meanwhile, after the news of detention reached the residential halls, hundreds of students, defying the ban, came out from the halls and joined the ongoing demonstrations and hunger strike on Wednesday morning, demanding immediate release of the detained students in front of administrative building. The demonstrations as well as the indefinite hunger strike were continuing till filling this report in the evening.
Additional police personnel have been deployed on the campus to avert unwanted situation in the area.
All the students had been asked to bring their identity card with them, otherwise they would be allowed to enter into the university, he added.
