JnU students on hunger strike for 31 hours, announce complete shutdown

The students of Jagannath University (JnU) have been carrying out a mass hunger strike for 31 hours to press home their three-point demand. They announced a ‘complete shutdown’ at the university today, Monday morning.

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

They are carrying out these programmes with a three-point demand, including the demand of handing over the project of construction of the second campus for JnU to the army. The students started the mass hunger strike at 8:30 am on Sunday.

Many of the students while on the hunger strike had fallen sick on Sunday night. Some of them are undergoing treatment in different city hospitals.

About 15 students had fallen sick from the hunger strike. They were admitted to the National Medical Hospital in serious conditions around 10:00 pm on Sunday night. Apart from them, seven other students are being treated at the medical centre of the university.

The other two demands made by the students is 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.

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, they will start marching towards the secretariat.

Meanwhile, the university administration has invited the students on hunger strike to a discussion.

Jagannath University Teachers Association has also expressed their all-out support in this ongoing hunger strike carried out by the students.