JU Protests: Demonstrators feeling ‘a sense of insecurity’
Agitating teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) -- who have been demonstrating for over a month demanding removal of VC Prof Farzana Islam from her post -- yesterday said they were feeling a sense of insecurity on campus.
“We are panicked, as the university administration is trying to harass teachers and students by different detective and state agencies. A movement can never be daunted by threat. It’s totally unexpected,” Prof Jamal Uddin Runu, one of the organisers of “Jahangirnagar Against Corruption”, said at a press briefing around 4pm.
Prof Jamal, a teacher of Environmental Science, said they urged the chancellor to take initiatives to bring an end to the ongoing crisis through discussion, but to no avail.
Two senior professors said they were “anxious” over recent visits at their residents by members of intelligence agencies on Thursday night.
Earlier, Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders who had publicly spoken about receiving a hefty amount of money from the JU VC, had also sought security.
Those students are currently staying outside the campus, after being threatened over phone by anonymous persons last month.
Prof Sohel Rana, general secretary of JU Teachers Association (JUTA), said, “I also talked to JUTA president in this regard. Such incidents are a matter of concern for us. I urge the university administration to look into the matter so that every teacher feel safe.”
STRIKE CONTINUES
Meanwhile, as part of the continuing strike, protesters yesterday halted weekend master’s course classes and activities at different departments. Early in the morning, a numbers of students separately took position at different faculties, and barred classes and examinations of the weekend courses.
The demonstrators -- who have been demanding removal of the VC over irregularities -- vowed to continue their all-out strike on the campus till their demand is met.
Last week, the protesters formed a “VC removal Mancha”.
The protest erupted on the campus on August 23, demanding a judicial inquiry into the reported involvement of the vice-chancellor in corruption and mismanagement of Tk 1,445 crore development projects on the campus.
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