Tension erupted at Rajshahi University on Saturday as students protesting the reinstatement of the “quota for children of teachers and staff” clashed with faculty members.
The incident occurred at the Zubery Bhaban when the Vice-Provost and several teachers attempted to enter the building, leaving several students and journalists injured.
University sources said the students had begun a sit-in protest in front of the administration building on Friday afternoon against the decision to reinstate the quota.
On Saturday around 2:30 pm, Vice-Provost Professor Main Uddin arrived at the administrative building, prompting students to block his car, shout slogans, and throw money onto the vehicle in protest.
Later, when the Vice-Provost and Proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman tried to enter his residence, students locked the gate. By 5:30 pm, students continued their protest inside Zubery Bhaban, effectively preventing the Vice-Provost and other faculty members from leaving.
Eyewitnesses reported that as faculty attempted to move past the protesting students, scuffles broke out, causing some students to fall and injuring several journalists. The campus atmosphere grew increasingly tense during the standoff.
Students raised slogans such as “Burn the fire together against quota for officials’ children” and “One, two, three, four, quota no more.” Meanwhile, staff members gathered outside the building, facing the students and faculty inside.
Proctor Mahbubur Rahman said, “Students trapped the Vice-Provost and locked his residence. When we tried to enter Zubery Bhaban, they obstructed us. During the scuffle, my watch and 10,000 Taka were lost. While the scuffle is unfortunate, the loss of personal property is unacceptable.”
The protest initially began on Friday evening when one student started an indefinite hunger strike, later joined by around 10 others.
On September 17, a section of the faculty and staff had warned that they would launch a full-day strike from September 21 if the quota reinstatement was not approved. Following this, the university’s admission committee on Thursday approved conditional admission under the “quota for officials’ children” for the 2024-25 academic year.
Earlier, on January 2, the university administration had permanently abolished the quota following student protests. However, since August 13, a faction of teachers, staff, and officials has been carrying out strikes and sit-ins demanding the reinstatement of the quota along with seven other demands. Although the protest was temporarily suspended on August 24 after assurances from the administration, it has recently resumed.
