Meet justified demands of SUST students
The situation at the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has gradually turned tense following the attack of the Chattra League on the students of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall on Sunday. Student movement was limited to protests and rallies until Friday. Following Saturday’s attack, the protesting students have decided to boycott classes and examinations until their demands are met. They confined vice-chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed to his room on Sunday. The VC faced the anger of the protesting students after leaving his house for a meeting of the deans around 2:45pm. The vice chancellor was then flanked by several teachers, officials and employees to the university’s ICT building. Amid the student protest, the authorities announced the closure of the university on Saturday.
Chattra League's name generally arises when it comes to student movement. But Chattra League is not expressing solidarity with these student protests. On the contrary, their motive is to foil the movement. People concerned observed had the Chattra League not attacked the peaceful rally of students, such a tense situation would have not arisen. After the attack of Chattra League, the students become agitated and announced tougher programmes, beginning with confining the vice chancellor and ending with police attacks on the protesters.
Any dispute between students and university administration should be resolved through discussion. But the Shahjalal University authorities delayed, in the name of holding talks. In a wake of discussion, the acting provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall was appointed on Friday but the protesting student did not agree to the authorities’ logic on the appointment. The vice chancellor said the acting provost has been appointed as hall provost Zafrin Ahmed was on a sick leave. And that means it is not clear whether the authorities accept the justification of the students’ demand.
The university authorities took no action over the attack of Chattra League on the peaceful rally of female students. The committee of Chattra League’s SUST unit has been dissolved long ago, so how can they operate with organisational identify there? The authorities have also avoided the main problem of the university. According to a Prothom Alo report published on Sunday, Chattra League controls 80 per cent of seats at the SUST’s residential halls. Split into to six groups, leaders and activists of Chattra League distribute these seats. If Chattra League does the distribution of the hall seats, what is the necessity of the university or hall administration?
It is wrong to assault or confine the vice chancellor in the name of movement. It is even worse to suppress the movement of the female students using Chattra League or police. The university authorities are the guardians of the students and they should behave in that manner.
The students of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall who have been protesting, are from various departments. If they boycott classes and exams, they will lag behind in studies. So, it is necessary to resolve the problem immediately. Amid this circumstance, the Shahjalal University authorities should give in to the justified demands of the students immediately and make way for the students to return to their studies. Besides, action will have to be taken against the students, who purported as Chattra League, attacked the female students. We expect a congenial atmosphere for studies to be restored at the university.