Seven college students call off protest after receiving assurances

After receiving strong assurances that their demands would be met, the students from the seven affiliated colleges have decided to end their ongoing protest.

The students made the announcement following a meeting with Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Representatives from Dhaka College and Eden Women’s College participated in the meeting.

Moinul Islam, a student from Dhaka College, shared the details of the discussion, saying,

"One of our six demands has already been accepted. We had given an ultimatum regarding the other five, and we’ve been promised that they will be addressed gradually, after reviewing all the necessary steps."

He also mentioned that Vice-Chancellor Mamun Sir would no longer be involved in any activities concerning the seven colleges, and discussions about his resignation would take place with the Dhaka University VC.

"There will be talks about the incidents of student abuse as well, and an investigation into the attack on Dhaka College student Rakib will be conducted within the next three days," Moinul said. "Dhaka University will also be open to all students now."

Moinul concluded,

"With the promises made by the Home Affairs and Information Advisors during the meeting, we are calling off the protest. We hold the Vice-Chancellor responsible for the entire situation."

Sadia Afrin Mou, a student from Eden Women’s College, expressed her optimism, stating,

"We are excited because the students of the seven colleges will be getting a new university. We are hopeful that all our demands will be met."

The protests began on Sunday when students from the seven colleges went to meet Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) of Dhaka University, to discuss their demands, including the removal of the unfair quota system in the admission process.

However, the students claimed they were disrespected and humiliated during the meeting.

The students had gone to Professor Mamun to ask about the progress on their demands, but they were reportedly mistreated and told to leave.

In response, they blocked roads at Shahbagh, Science Lab, and Technical Moar to protest.

Later, around 10:30 PM, they set off in a procession towards Dhaka University, intending to surround the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s residence.

However, when they reached Nilkhet, they were confronted by Dhaka University students, leading to a standoff.

To manage the situation, the police had to use sound grenades, and four platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed to the area.

Several students were injured during the clash.

The standoff continued until the early hours of the morning, and around 3 AM, the students held a press conference at Nilkhet, announcing that they would begin an indefinite blockade in front of their respective colleges.

In response to the growing unrest, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Neaz Ahmed Khan called an urgent meeting with the principals of the affiliated colleges on Monday.

After the meeting, he announced that starting from the 2024-25 academic year, the first-year undergraduate admissions for the seven colleges would no longer be handled by Dhaka University.

However, the students remained firm in their demand for the resignation of the Pro-Vice Chancellor, giving him a 24-hour deadline to step down.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, during an event at North South University, Education Advisor Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud revealed that Dhaka University had canceled the affiliation of the seven colleges without informing the government.

"A new independent university will be created for the seven colleges," he said. "The interim government had been working on a plan to establish a separate university or university-like structure for these colleges, as the ongoing crisis had been a long-standing issue. But the recent developments have been very unfortunate, both for the students and the teachers."

After meeting with the students, Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury addressed the media, saying,