We agree to the demands of students, but it takes time: BUET VC
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) vice chancellor Satya Prasad Majumder has said the university administration agrees to the demands of the students and it requires time to follow due process to meet the demands.
The BUET VC made the remarks while talking to newsmen at his office on Saturday afternoon.
Just before half an hour, BUET students ended their demonstration today, Saturday.
They declared that they would boycott all academic activities, including term final exams scheduled to be held on Sunday.
Identifying those involved and ensuring their punishment; the administration has to issue a written notice for legal action against the entry of outsider political persons into the campus and implement it; resignation of the directorate of students' welfare (DSW) for failing to discharge duties; a written undertaking about not taking any action to harass the demonstrating students.
BUET students demonstrated for the second day to press home their five-point demand, following a gathering of leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League, on the BUET campus on Wednesday midnight, where student politics is banned.
The students demonstrated from 7:00am to 12:00pm on the campus on Saturday.
They alleged some outsider leaders and activists on Wednesday night entered the BUET campus and conducted political activities despite a ban on student politics after the murder of Abrar Fahad.
Civil Engineering department’s student Imtiaz Rabbi, BCL central committee member, is the main organiser of this political gathering.
The BUET campus was turbulent on Friday as the students registered a big protest.
The students demonstrated for five hours from 2:30pm to 8:00pm at a stretch placing a five-point demand.
We will take action as per the rule when the inquiry report is submitted. We will not be able to do anything outside of the rule. If anyone is expelled out of the rule, that would not stand in the court. It requires time to do everything in accordance with the rules. As it is a month of Ramadan, extended time should have been given.
They announced boycotting all the academic activities, including term final exams scheduled to be held on 30 and 31 March.
The demonstrating students updated their five-point demand.
Those are: expelling civil engineering department’s 21st batch student and BCL central committee member Imtiaz Rabbi permanently and cancelling his dormitory seat by 2:00pm today, as he was the main organiser of the political gathering on campus on Wednesday night violating the university’s rules; expelling five other students (ASM Anas Ferdous, Hasin Arman Nihal, Anirudh Majumder, Zahirul Islam, Sayem Mahmud) from their dormitories and from campus permanently; identifying those involved and ensuring their punishment; the administration has to issue a written notice for legal action against the entry of outsider political persons into the campus and implement it; resignation of the directorate of students' welfare (DSW) for failing to discharge duties; a written undertaking about not taking any action to harass the demonstrating students.
After the demonstration of the students, the VC met newsmen. He said, "We can expel Imtiaz from the dormitory. But the discipline committee has to call a meeting for term expulsion. An inquiry report will be required for the meeting of the discipline committee. The discipline committee cannot take any action without the inquiry report. If the punishment is given in this way, it will not stand in the court. So an inquiry will be required and the accused have to be given scope of self defence. We have to follow legal procedures. We have formed an investigation committee and it has started working. The six-member committee has time till 8 April. After receiving the investigation report, we will hear from the members of the committee."
About boycotting classes by the students, the VC said, "We have not postponed the examination. They (students) boycotted it. They have not applied for the postponement of the examination. If they had applied, we would have considered it. They have made a mistake. The examination was held. But they were absent. As per the rule, the bell will ring whether the students come or not and this happened in BUET earlier. Later if they apply for examination, the academic council may consider."
When asked how BCL entered the BUET campus at midnight, Satya Prasad Majumder said, "We will issue show cause notice to the security officer as to why he was allowed. He should not have allowed it. If anyone enters at midnight, it is illegal. Who has entered has to be identified. Punishment cannot be meted out before identifying. So it requires time. We will take legal action if any security guard allows outsiders."
Agreeing to the demands of students, the BUET VC said, "It is not possible to implement demands in this way, by 9:00am or 2:00pm. What should be done to fulfill demands has been done. We will take action as per the rule when the inquiry report is submitted. We will not be able to do anything outside of the rule. If anyone is expelled out of the rule, that would not stand in the court. It requires time to do everything in accordance with the rules. As it is a month of Ramadan, extended time should have been given."