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Published : 02 Sep 2025, 01:18 AM
Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) are remaining firm in their protest with a six-point list of demands, including an apology from the vice-chancellor.
They also rejected the administration's directive to vacate the residential halls following an attack by outsiders during their protest a day before.
A tense atmosphere has descended on the campus from Monday evening onwards following a day of protests. The university and the district administrations are blaming each other over the students' demands.
As their demands were not met, students blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh railway tracks at 4pm. After two and a half hours, they left the scene considering the passengers’ suffering.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof AKM Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan said the matter is beyond their control and that the district commissioner will do whatever deems appropriate.
Mymensingh's DC Mofidul Alam said the university authorities would oversee the students' demands and that they had nothing to say about it.
Following the administration's instructions, many female students left the halls early Monday morning, but their male peers began protesting the previous day's attack.
Female students also joined in afterwards.
From Monday morning, students from multiple halls gathered in small processions outside the KR Market. From there, they marched to Amtala outside the administrative building to hold a press conference.
AHM Himel, a third-year student in the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and representative of the protesters, highlighted their demands to the media at 11:30am on Monday.
He said that the administration’s order for students to leave residential halls should be withdrawn by 2pm, all facilities should be ensured in the halls, the proctorial body should resign within 24 hours, and the vice-chancellor should publicly apologise over the attack.
In addition, their demands include exemplary punishment for the teachers involved in the attack - including Asaduzzaman Sarkar, Tofazzal, Sharif, Rafi, Bazlur Rahman Molla, Monir, Ashikur Rahman and Kamruzzaman - from the Faculty of Agriculture, and the immediate awarding of combined degrees for students from the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and the Faculty of Veterinary Science.
“If our six-point list of demands is not accepted, there can be a lockdown or a blackout of the entire university," Himel said.
Ten people, including journalists and students, were injured in an attack by outsiders on Sunday, when about 200 teaching and administrative staff were blocked from leaving a building by protesting students.
An emergency syndicate meeting that night closed the university indefinitely and ordered students to vacate residential halls by 9am on Monday.
University Proctor Abdul Alim said, "Many students have complied with the order. Others have stayed and are protesting.”
"When the halls are empty, the responsibility usually falls on the local administration. We are also talking to them on the matter. Let's see what can be done."
