The agitating students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on Monday prevented a team, led by its proctor, from taking food to the vice-chancellor who has been confined to his residence.
In the evening, Proctor Alamgir Kabir tried to persuade the students, who have been staging demonstrations demanding the VC’s resignation, to end their fast-unto-death programme.
The students refused to break the fast and instead locked into an argument with the official team.
Later the team tried to get into the VC’s residence with food, beverages and medicines but it failed to go through the human chain surrounding the place, witnesses said.
The proctor said they were concerned about the health of the VC and other teachers trapped inside the residence.
One of them already fell ill, he said, adding that the vice-chancellor also has heart disease and his medicines have almost run out.
“If we could get in, we could manage to get him some medicines. But there is no way now,” he said.
Meanwhile, at 3:30pm on Monday, Iliasur Rahman Ilias, councillor of Ward 6 of Sylhet City Corporation and Mokhlesur Rahman Kamran, councillor of Ward 9, went to visit the vice-chancellor with foods but they had to return from the gate because of students’ protest.
A group of students have been continuing the hunger strike for the sixth day with several of them hospitalised as they fell sick.
The students vowed to continue the hunger strike until SUST VC Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed resigned.
The hunger strike was launched on January 19, three days after police swooped on the protesting students baton-charging and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets.
The attack was carried out to free the vice-chancellor from confinement in the university’s IICT building.
The clash left at least 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and police personnel.
A provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, a dorm for females, was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints.
She has since resigned from her post, citing health issues.
Provost Zafrin Ahmed’s removal was one of the initial demands of the students protesting on the campus. But it has now spread to the general students as well.
Although there was an hour-long virtual meeting between Education Minister Dipu Moni and the protesting students early Sunday, no solution is in sight yet to break the protracted standoff on the campus.
Dipu Moni suggested that the students submit their demands in a written form and then she will go for the next step.
Meanwhile, the University Teachers Network held a symbolic hunger strike to express solidarity with the protesting students demanding the resignation of the VC on Monday.
They gathered in front of Aparajeya Bangla monument from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.
The teachers’ association of the university urged the government to form a neutral committee to investigate the police action on protesting students on January 16.
The association said this after a meeting at the central auditorium of the university on Sunday.
The teachers demanded the government take actions against the accused after the investigation.
The association announced a four-point charter of demands from the teachers to solve the ongoing unrest on the campus.
They sought the government's assistance to do what it takes to break the hunger strike of the protesting students.
The association said the government has the jurisdiction over the vice-chancellor’s resignation but it urges an immediate step in this regard.
It also urged not to take any violent actions against the students.
