Students to stay on streets until forming commission to transform Titumir college into university

The students of Government Titumir College resumed their demonstrations blocking the road in the capital’s Mohakhali area on Monday evening.

They blocked the road in front of the college around 6:30 pm, around two hours after lifting the block they enforced earlier in the day.

The students announced that they would stay on the streets until a commission is formed to transform the Government Titumir College into a university.

They said they brought out a procession from the college campus and blocked the road and railway tracks in the Mohakhali level crossing area around 11:30 am today, Monday, demanding that the College be made a university.

They lifted the road block when a 12-member delegation went to the secretariat for discussion around 4:00 pm.

But the members of the delegation announced a hunger strike unto death in front of the secretariat after the discussion. When the news spread in the campus, other students of the college took to the streets and blocked the road in Mohakhali around 6:30 pm.

Later, the members of the delegation moved from the secretariat area and joined the students at Mohakhali

Speaking to Prothom Alo around 7:00 pm, Shafayet Shafiq, a student of the political science department of the College, said that their representatives had a discussion with two advisers of the interim government, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud. But no decision was made there.

He further said the advisers told the delegation that the government’s decision regarding the matter would be announced in a statement. The students are in the dark as to what decision the government has made until it is announced through a statement. In this context, they blocked the road demanding that the statement be issued soon.

However, Abdul Hamid, one of the 12 delegation members, told Prothom Alo around 8:00 pm that the ministry time and again requested them to sit for a discussion on the matter at the secretariat. Then the delegation went there. Initially the advisers were positive but later they said the decision would be made after another round of discussion tomorrow (Tuesday).

He said it seems they want to procrastinate on the matter. That is why the discussion ended without making any decision.

“Now our demand is to form a commission to transform Titumir college into a university. We won’t go to the secretariat anymore. The decision has to be made by holding a discussion with the students on the campus. We will not leave the streets until a decision is made to form a commission,” Abdul Hamid added.

He further said that they would continue their hunger strike unto death in front of the Titumir College.

Earlier in the day, some 1,500-2000 students of Government Titumir College brought out a procession to press home the same demand.

Parading through the Amtali intersection, the procession stopped at Mohakhali level crossing area around 11:30 am, leading to a complete halt of traffic movement on both sides of the road from Mohakhali to Shahjalal International Airport and the people’s sufferings.

Around 4:00 pm, the demonstrating students marched in a procession towards the college campus.

But they took to the streets once again after 6:30 pm.