The students at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) continuing their hunger strike for the third consecutive day despite the education adviser visited and assured them.
The students started the hunger strike on Monday, demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Masud.
Around 9:45am today, Education Adviser CR Abrar visited the campus and spoke with the striking students, our correspondent reports from the spot, reports The Daily Star.
As soon as he arrived, students began chanting slogans against the VC and criticising the role of the interim government in addressing their grievances.
During his visit, the adviser informed students that a committee had already been formed by the Ministry of Education to address their demands.
"The committee will speak with you very soon," he said.
"After hearing from you, we will take the necessary steps. However, no hasty legal decision can be made, as such actions may not hold up in court."
In response, students expressed frustration over the "prolonged inaction".
"We`ve been protesting for two months, yet our demands remain unmet," one of the protesters said. "You may continue with your procedures, but we will not break our hunger strike unless the vice-chancellor resigns—even if it costs us our lives."
The adviser left the campus around 10:30am without announcing any concrete resolution.
Earlier in the morning, five of the striking students have been hospitalised so far, and the condition of 26 others is deteriorating.
Saiful Islam, a student from the 2022 batch of the Mechanical Engineering department, was admitted to the Kuet Medical Centre last night. Four others had been hospitalised earlier.
A visit to the campus at 8:30am revealed several students lying weak with cold compresses on their foreheads, while others were being splashed with water. Three ambulances were stationed outside the Students` Welfare Centre, where a large number of female students had gathered. Protesters were seen using handheld microphones to coordinate activities.
Campus security has been tightened, with police deployed at all entrances to maintain order.
"We`ve enhanced security to ensure the safety of everyone under the current circumstances," said Kuet Security Officer Sadiq Hossain Paramanik.
On Monday, the hunger strike began at 4:00pm with 32 students gathering at the veranda of the Students` Welfare Centre to protest what they described as administrative inaction and complicity in an earlier campus attack.
According to the protesters, on February 18, members of a student political group and other outsiders allegedly attacked students on campus.
Although a police case was filed, it lacked specific details, and no arrests have been made. Meanwhile, a counter-complaint filed by an outsider named 22 students with specific information—including names, departments, and roll numbers—that the protesters claim could only have been accessed through administrative support.
Following the incident, the university temporarily suspended 37 students, several of whom are now leading the protest.
On April 13, students demanded that dormitories be reopened. When their request was ignored, they spent two nights outdoors before forcibly entering the halls on April 15, only to find them lacking basic services such as food, water, and internet access.
University authorities have made several attempts to persuade students to end the strike and engage in dialogue.
Director of Student Welfare Professor Md Abdullah Ilias Akhtar, alongside other faculty members, approached the protesters multiple times.
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