University Teachers’ Network, a body of university teachers, on Monday held a token hunger strike programme on Dhaka University campus protesting at the recent attacks on Sylhet Shahjalal University of Science and Technology students.
Teachers from different universities of the country participated in the token hunger strike programme that started at 12:00pm and would continue till 3:00pm at the base of Aparajeya Bangla on DU campus.
The participants include Jahangirnagar University economics department Professor Anu Mohammad, Dhaka University international relations department Professor Tanjimuddin Khan, DU physics department Professor Kamrul Hasan Mamun, former DU professor Rehnuma Ahmed, JU Professor Saeed Ferdous, DU accounting department Professor Moshahida Sultana, DU development studies department teacher Kazi Maruful Islam, DU English department Associate Professor Tasneem Siraj Mahbub, DU sociology department Associate Professor Samina Lutfa, DU mass communication and journalism department Associate Professor Kazalie Shehereen Islam, and DU economics department Assistant Professor Rushad Faridi.
Students of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology continued their protests for the twelfth consecutive day on Monday as their demand for the resignation of university vice-chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed grew louder.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and opposition lawmakers in Jatiya Sangsad on the day also demanded the removal of the VC, while students from other public universities, including Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Jahangirnagar University and Islamic University in Kushtia also expressed their solidarity with the protesters.
The protesting students refused to budge from their demand of the vice-chancellor’s resignation after a virtual conversation with education minister Dipu Moni for the second time in early hours on Sunday.
They, however, said that they were open to attending a further virtual meeting with the education minister to discuss the issue.
‘We have a virtual discussion with the minister at about 1:00am today. But, she did not clearly say anything about the VC’s resignation,’ Nafisa Anjum, a representative of the protesting students, said.
‘We want to make it clear that we are always ready to attend any virtual discussion on the VC’s resignation,’ she added.
She made the remarks while addressing a news briefing on the campus about 4:45pm, stating that the education minister had asked them to send their demands in writing by noon before holding further discussion with her.
