Hunger strike withdrawn as govt assures handing over construction work to army

The students of Jagannath University (JnU) have withdrawn the hunger strike as the government Monday assured them of handing over the construction work of JnU second campus to the army.

The students, however, have said their “shutdown” of the activities of the university will remain in place until the final decision is taken from the advisory council’s meeting on Wednesday.

AKM Rakib, 13th batch student of botany department at the university announced the withdrawal of the hunger strike in front of the secretariat in the evening.

The students on Sunday started a mass hunger strike to press home their three-point demands and announced a “complete shutdown” at the university this morning.

They also locked the main gate of the campus, the administrative building along with the buildings of different faculties.

The tree-point demand pressed by the students, include immediately signing a contract to handover the construction of JnU second campus to the army, to start and complete the construction work of Bani Bhaban in old Dhaka and the still-based building of Dr Habuibur Rahman Hall soon, and to ensure residency allowance for 70 per cent students until the residence facilities are available.

AKM Rakib said, “We have received assurance that the project’s work will be handed over to the army from the Wednesday meeting. Besides, there will be discussion on temporary residence. Two of our three demands have been accepted. That is why we have withdrawn the hunger strike.

Students on the hunger strike earlier stated that if there were no specific guidelines from the education ministry or the University Grants Commission (UGC) by 4:00 pm Monday, they would start marching to the secretariat.

Following this, they started their march to the secretariat from the main entrance of their university campus around 4:00 pm. Ailing students who are on hunger strike rode on rickshaws while other students were walking. They reached the secretariat around 4:45 pm and blocked the road.