Dhaka Polytechnic principal removed amid student protests

Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Khan, principal of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, has been removed from his post amid intensifying protests by students.

Shahela Pervin, the vice-principal of the institution, has been given additional responsibility as principal.

The decision followed a day of student demonstrations that included road blockades and the announcement of a planned rail blockade on Thursday.

The protesters have put forward a six-point list of demands.

The education ministry’s Technical and Madrasah Education Division issued an order on Wednesday night transferring Mostafizur to the Directorate of Technical Education.

The directive was formally announced in a notification and will take immediate effect, according to the ministry.

Siraj Ud Daula Khan, senior information officer for the Ministry of Education, confirmed the move.

Earlier, Mostafizur had suggested that the students were being influenced by external forces.

He said, “They are motivated by others. They are doing this with the encouragement from several circles of the Awami League. An appointment rule cannot be changed just by wanting, it takes time. But it is not advisable to block Saat Rasta all day for this.”

Earlier on Wednesday morning, students had blocked roads in key areas of the capital including Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur, as part of their protest.

Their simultaneous occupation of busy roadways led to paralysing traffic congestion across Dhaka, bringing distress to commuters.

The students said they would take to the rail tracks across the country on Thursday to further their cause.