Protesting students at the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) claimed that six of their accounts used for financial transactions to aid the protest were disabled and medical support has also been withdrawn.
The accounts included Rocket, Nagad, Bkash, and bank accounts, and were being used to collect funds for the ongoing protest, the students said during an emergency press briefing around 2:30am on Tuesday.
Additionally, the medical team from the Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital which was providing healthcare to the student on fast-unto-death has also stopped their service, the protesters said in the briefing, expressing their worries for the health of the student.
Former and present students usually compile a joint fund whenever there's a programme or movement, the students said. They were collecting funds for the ongoing protest accordingly.
However, they were unable to conduct any transaction from those six accounts from Monday evening onwards. In fact, they also couldn't make incoming and outgoing calls from those numbers.
Earlier, a team led by the SUST Proctor Alamgir Kabir tried to bring food to the VC who has been confined to his residence on Monday evening.
However, they failed to go through the human chain surrounding the residence.
Previously, protesting students disconnected electricity supply to the vice-chancellor’s residence on Sunday evening as he refused to step down as per their demand.
After 29 hours, the connection was restored in the early hours of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 15 of the 24 students on fast-unto-death since 3:00pm Wednesday remained admitted to different hospitals in the city.
On Sunday afternoon, four more students joined their fellows in the hunger strike taking their total number to 27.
Earlier, one of the 24 students had to leave the strike due to his relative’s sickness.
The students went on the strike unto death demanding resignation of Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed over the police action on the protesting students at his behest on Wednesday.
Most of the students suffering from weakness are put on saline at the venue as they are not ingesting any water or other liquid, witnesses said.
They, however, vowed to continue their strike until the VC resigns and formed a human chain in front of the VC’s residence not allowing anyone except police to enter.
Zafrin Ahmed, Provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the trouble as she reportedly misbehaved with some students on January 13. She has already resigned from her post, citing health issues.
Zafrin’s removal as the provost of the residential hall for female students was one of the principal demands of the students protesting on the campus.
