SUST online classes resume Wednesday

After 27 days of stalemate Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) will resume all its academic activities online from Wednesday.

The decision came after an emergency syndicate meeting of the university led by Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed on Sunday evening. A day after the protesting students suspended their movement demanding his resignation.

"The residential halls for students will be reopened from Monday and physical classes, exams will resume from February 22 if the government does not impose any more restrictions for Covid-19, '' said Ishfaqul Hossain, Registrar of the university.

SUST authority announced a shutdown following a clash on the campus between police and the protesting students on January 16. The students were asked to leave the dormitories by 12pm the next day.

The police action on the students triggered a long protest and hunger strike in campus rejecting the authority’s orders.

The students of SUST suspended their movement on Saturday following a successful meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday.

They suspended the protest after VC Farid Uddin Ahmed expressed regret over the police action on protesting students on January 16 and apologised earlier on Saturday.

On Friday, regarding the student’s demand for VC's resignation, Dipu Moni said it will be placed before the President as he is the Chancellor of the university, holding the power to appoint and remove someone from the post of VC.

Regarding the two cases filed against the protesting students, she said arrangements will be made to withdraw those cases as soon as possible.

The protests began in the middle of January. Over two dozen SUST students who went on fast unto death ended their strike on January 26. They broke the fast after former SUST Prof Zafar Iqbal offered them water to drink.

The students embarked on the hunger strike on the university campus on January 19, demanding the resignation of the VC over the police crackdown on their fellows.

The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets. On the other hand, the police had filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students.

The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.

Zafrin Ahmed, a provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, 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 later resigned from her post, citing health issues.