A hunger strike conducted by nine students at Chittagong University to push for a seven-point charter of demands, including a safer campus and the resignation of the proctorial body, has entered its third day.
On Friday, three of the demonstrators were admitted to the university’s health centre after falling ill, reports bdnews24.com.
While the administration has held one-on-one talks with the protesting students, the protest continues with no agreement in sight.
The students began their hunger strike on Wednesday afternoon in front of the proctor’s office.
The group includes Omar Samudra, Dhruba Barua and Sudarshan Chakma of the Department of Bangla; Isha Dey and Jashad Zakir of the Department of Music; Ahmed Mughdho and Nayeem Shahjahan of the Department of English; Sumaiya Sikder of the Department of Marketing, and Ramra Sain Marma of the Department of Sports Science.
Among them, Barua, Sikder and Sudarshan were admitted to the CU health centre.
The protesters said they were administered saline there.
“Almost all of us have fallen ill while conducting the long hunger strike. Pretty much everyone has had to be given saline,” Marma said.
He added that several of his peers had grown seriously ill and had been sent to the health centre, but the administration had not given any assurances about their demands.
Two pro-vice chancellors met with the students on Thursday evening, urging them to negotiate, but the talks failed.
At the time, Barua said the group would not take part in discussions unless the university agreed to key demands, including the resignation of the proctorial body.
Prof Mohammed Shamim Uddin Khan, the university’s pro-vice chancellor, said the administration was trying to keep channels open.
“We want to discuss their demands. We have already visited them once,” he told bdnews24.com.
“We are going again today. We are conscious about their health.”
