Staff Reporter :
Students of seven colleges have called off their protest, including the cordoning off of New Market police station, after receiving assurance that their demands will be addressed.
The decision to withdraw came from a meeting held between students from seven colleges and Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, along with Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Nahid Islam.
Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today urged patience and dialogue to peacefully resolve the ongoing dispute between Dhaka University students and students of the seven affiliated colleges.
Speaking to reporters after a core committee meeting on law and order at the Secretariat, the adviser said the conflict, which had escalated into a law-and-order issue, originated from a minor incident.
He said, “This problem can be solved through discussion. And in this case, we all have to be patient. If we become impatient, no problem will be solved.”
He further urged law enforcement agencies to handle the situation with restraint.
“The law and order forces should also deal with it patiently. Our student brothers should also be patient and come to a solution through discussion,” he said.
In response to ongoing protests, he advised students to carefully select venues for demonstrations to minimise public suffering.
Moinul Islam, a Dhaka College student who attended the meeting, said, “The government is positive towards our six-point demand,” reports UNB.
He also said they earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum that no buses of Dhaka University would be allowed to move in front of seven colleges and the New Market police station be besieged, if their demands were not met within the deadline.
Their demands also included withdrawal of New Market Police Station’s officer-in-charge, and Assistant Commissioner of the zone, taking action against them, resignation of DU Pro-VC (academic), seeking mercy by the Dhaka University for distasteful comment on Eden students by DU students.
One of the demands–separation of the seven colleges from Dhaka — has already been met.
At around 10pm on Sunday night, students of Dhaka College tried to enter the DU area in a protest march.
Their aim was to surround the office of the DU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Mamun Ahmed, attempting to enter the campus through the Liberation and Democracy Arch.
When the information spread, students from various halls of Dhaka University started to make noise, and the situation became tense. For a prolonged period, students from both sides engaged in alternating clashes.
They took positions, throwing bricks and stones, in the Nilkhet and New Market areas. Several students from both sides were injured in the clashes.
On Monday, the students of seven colleges issued the 24-hour ultimatum outlining six point demands.
