BAU Students Call for VC’s Apology, Warn of Intensified Protests

NN ONLINE:

Protesting students at Bangladesh Agricultural University have issued a six-point ultimatum, seeking an apology from Vice-Chancellor Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan and a series of other commitments in response to an outsider-led attack.

AHM Himel, a third-year student in the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and a spokesperson for the demonstrators, outlined their demands to reporters during a rally outside the campus’s administrative building at 11:30 a.m. on Monday.

Himel explained that the administration’s order for students to leave the residential halls should be rescinded by 2:00 p.m., that all hall facilities must be maintained, and that the proctorial body should resign within 24 hours. He also called for the vice-chancellor to publicly apologize for the incident.

The six-point package further includes: exemplary punishment for the teachers involved in the attack—Asaduzzaman Sarkar, Tofazzal, Sharif, Rafi, Bazlur Rahman Molla, Monir, Ashikur Rahman, and Kamruzzaman from the Faculty of Agriculture—and immediate approval of combined degrees for students in the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and the Faculty of Veterinary Science.

“If our six-point demands are not met, the university could face a lockdown or a blackout,” Himel warned. The attack on Sunday injured ten people, including journalists and students, after around 200 teachers and administrative staff were prevented from leaving a building by protesting students.

That night, an emergency syndicate meeting closed the university indefinitely and ordered students to vacate the halls by 9 a.m. on Monday. Some students refused the order and gathered at KR Market before marching to the campus and delivering the six-point ultimatum. University Proctor Abdul Alim stated, “Many students have complied with the order. Others remain and are protesting.”

“Once the halls are empty, responsibility typically shifts to the local administration. We are engaging with them on the matter to find a resolution. Let’s see what can be done.”

BAU operates nine residential halls for male students and five for female students, housing about 6,500 residents.