DU students stage protest demanding resignation of Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall provost

The resident students of Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall of Dhaka University have staged a sit-in in front of the vice-chancellor’s (VC) house demanding the resignation of their provost.

They gathered in front of the VC’s house around 9.30pm on Thursday to protest “irregularities in seat allocation, lack of emergency facilities, poor quality of food in the canteen, student harassment, inadequate water filters and cooking facilities.”

The students demanded the resignation of hall provost Nazmun Nahar, professor of the department of geography and environment, saying, “She does not care about the students and is always busy with her personal affairs.”

Preferring anonymity, one of the protesting students said, “The hall provost has been involved in many irregularities. It takes a minimum of 15 days for us to get a document signed by the hall provost even if it is urgent. She takes Tk4,000 from every student every year to allocate seats although it is not allowed by the university regulations.”

At one stage, four protesting students went to the VC’s house to express their grievances.

DU proctor AKM Golam Rabbani said, “The students shared their sufferings and problems with us. They have some valid demands and points. We will try to resolve the issues through discussion.”

After the meeting, the students returned to their dormitory at around 11:45pm.

However, Provost Nazmun Nahar could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.