Bhashani university VC freed from confinement after 52 hrs
The vice-chancellor (VC) of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU), Md Forhad Hossain, was freed on Friday after remaining confined at his office for nearly 52 hours by the employees.
A group of students of the university freed him around 1:00pm and offered Juma prayer with him at the mosque.
Employees of the university besieged him on Wednesday around 9:00am to press home their 14-point demand, including making the jobs of 22 third grade employees permanent. After confining him, the third grade employees observed a sit-in programme in front of the VC office.
Around 10:00am on Friday, nearly 200 students of the university came to the VC office with a procession. The employees left the office seeing the procession. Following that the students opened the locks of the VC office and requested the VC to come out. Though the VC didn’t come out at that time, he prayed Juma with the students at the mosque.
VC Forhad Hossain said the former VC recruited 22 people in third grade posts on ad hoc basis in 2019. However, the university received approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) against 15 posts in two phases. But the third-grade employee organisation came up with some illogical demands. They demanded to recruit 22 employees in 15 posts.
They also sought to make their posts permanent only through viva-voce. The university registrar and the leaders of the teachers’ association met them several times. But they stick to their demands, the VC added.
A student, Mahmudul Hasan, said, “The third grade employees besieged the VC sir to realise some illogical demands. It is very regrettable. We want punishment for those who carried out this incident.”
The president of third grade employee samity, SM Mahfuzur Rahman, said they will continue work abstention until their demands are met.
They didn’t bar the VC from coming outside and allowed the VC to go outside for special needs including morning walk, he added.