Several leftist students’ organizations and teachers of Dhaka University staged a rally Friday in solidarity with the movement being waged by the students of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology in Sylhet.
The protesters demanded the removal of SUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin, trials of attacks on students and the withdrawal of cases filed against students.
Vice president of Gonotantrik Chhatra Council, Saidul Houqe Nishan, said, “Students just demanded their rights but SUST authority returned their demand by charging them and firing at them.”
“Our government has the power to close all the educational institutions but it cannot remove a single VC who forced his students to be hospitalised by attacking them,” he added.
Thanking all the participants, a former student of SUST said, “Police cannot enter an autonomous University without getting the permission of the Vice Chancellor and proctor. Then, how SUST students were attacked by police? The involvement of SUST authority is clear like daylights yet they are denying their involvement in the attack.”
“Many students are falling sick as they go on hunger strike till the VC resigns and many students have already been hospitalized,” he informed.
“This scenario is faced not in SUST only; every public university is in the same situation. University administrations become the spokesperson for the government,” he regretted.
Pahari Chhatra Parishad central president Sunayan Chakma said, “A person who does not have self-respect, cannot be a teacher as well as a vice chancellor.
Referring to SUST VC, he asked, “If he had self-respect, he would have resigned from his post. How can he be a VC, who is unwanted by students?”
Condemning the police attack on SUST students, retired professor of Salimullah Medical College, Harunur Rashid said that, “Toady, our government has decided to shut all educational institutes and instructed to continue the classes virtually.”
“But it is not suitable for this government to say so. Because when SUST students demanded proper internet facilities and quality food in dormitories, they were attacked by the students’ wing of the leading government party and police forces. Then, how can such a government tell students to continue academic classes online?”
Again he added that every time the government tries to close educational institutions because it does not want students to talk about its mismanagements and raise voice against the government.
Prof Anu Muhammad said, “Sometimes culprits are uncovered suddenly. In the same way, the attack on SUST students brought the real face of SUST VC in the light along with all the vice chancellors who expressed solidarity with the action of SUST VC.”
“Why not provide a subsidiary for the food of students while the government provides subsidies to the sectors like garments”, he added.
“University is the place where students are expected to talk against the mismanagement of the government, to think freely and to create knowledge but the government assigned its student wing to block students’ way of thinking by forcing them to live in ‘Gonoroom’ and to join political programmes”, he further said.
Meanwhile, Jamshedul Alam, a student of the Social work department of SUST of 2002-2003 session, said ,”We request our chancellor to take immediate steps to save the students. We never expected such an incident in SUST campus. Besides, we also demand the resignation of VC Farid Uddin.”
Source: United News of Bangladesh