DU Correspondent :
The students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) erupted in protest against student politics on campus by boycotting all sorts of class examinations for the second day.
The protesting students also demanded stricter action against the students involved and responsible authorities.
Nearly one thousand protesting students demonstrated on campus for around four hours and chanted slogans in favor of their demands.
As a result of the earlier protest, the BUET authority cancelled the hall allocation of the main accused, Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, a student of the 21st batch of BUET’s Civil Engineering department and also a member of the BCL central panel, in order to meet the protesters’ demands.
However, no academic decision was made against him, despite the students’ demand for his academic expulsion.
Speaking to reporters at his office, the BUET Vice-Chancellor, Satya Prasad Majumder, said that they also agreed with the students’ demands, but it would take time to fulfill them due to the necessary process.
An investigation committee of six members has already been formed to look into the BCL’s entry on campus, and the committee has been asked to submit the report by April 8th.
“Action will be taken as per the university rules after analyzing CCTV footage and conducting an investigation,” the Vice Chancellor said.
The BUET authority banned all kinds of politics on the campus following the tragic death of university student Abrar Fahad, who was tortured by leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in October 2019.
After that, the BCL tried to gain entry onto the BUET campus several times, but they were unable to do so as students protested against it.
Alongside this, the protesters also demanded the academic expulsion of other students involved. They identified the ‘involved’ students by analyzing CCTV footage and named them as ASM Anas Ferdous (ID: 1818004), Mohammad Hasin Arman Nihal (ID: 2106101), Aniruddha Majumdar (ID: 2106079), Zohirul Islam Emon (ID: 2112031), and Sayem Mahmud Sajedin Rifat (ID: 2106126) for violating the university’s regulations.
Furthermore, the students asked the BUET authority to clarify its stance regarding the entry of BCL leaders in the midnight and their alleged use of the seminar room for political purposes, as permission from the Directorate of Students’ Welfare (DSW) is required for this.
In their revised demands, the students also called for the removal of the DSW for ‘failing to fulfill their responsibilities and violating the university’s regulations.’ They declared that they would continue to boycott all academic activities until March 31.
When asked about who is responsible for allowing the Chhatra League leaders to enter the campus at midnight, the BUET Vice Chancellor said, “We will issue a notice to the security officer to explain why he allowed them to enter the campus. If the particular guard is found guilty, action will be taken against him.”
However, in response to the students’ protest, five students of the university staged a human chain in front of BUET Shaheed Minar and claimed that they were being harassed because they believe in the spirit of the liberation war.
They alleged, “We have not engaged in any kind of political activities on the campus and we are not affiliated with any political organization.
However, in terms of ideology, we believe in the spirit of the liberation war.”
Regarding the students’ boycott of exams, the BUET Vice Chancellor said, “We have not postponed the exams.
The students boycotted the exams. Furthermore, they did not apply for a postponement of the exams.
If they had applied, we would have considered their request. They were absent from the exams. The procedure will continue as per the rules.”
He further added, “If they apply for the exams, the academic council can consider it.”
