Deadlock continues at JU

The agitating students of Jahangirnagar University were in a hoax yesterday over the resignation of its vice-chancellor as the speculation spread all over the campus and beyond.
The rumour gave an impression that VC Shariff Enamul Kabir had decided to resign and he would do it anytime after meeting President Zillur Rahman, also the chancellor of the university, yesterday.
It was well-justified by the students as the VC called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday, hours after a delegation of the agitating teachers met her at the PMO.
Hasina initiated the talks as an effort to end the ongoing deadlock over the demand of the VC's resignation. At both the meetings, Hasina said she would take a decision in consultation with the chancellor of the university; that is President M Zillur Rahman.
Although the VC after the meeting told reporters that he would resign if the chancellor wanted to, some top administrative officers including the pro-VC, registrar, Syndicate members, proctor and the VC's office secretary denied the speculation.
The Daily Star tried several times to contact the VC on his mobile phone for his version and also through SMS (short message service), but he did not respond.
However, Pro-VC Farhad Hossain said he did not know anything about the VC's sitting with the president and ruled out the possibility of the VC's resignation.
“I did not hear whether the prime minister advised the vice-chancellor to resign. Actually, the question of his resignation should not have arisen,” he added.
STUDENTS CONTINUE FAST-UNTO-DEATH
Meanwhile, four agitating students of Jahangirnagar Sangskritik Jote yesterday fell sick during their fast-unto-death programme for the fourth consecutive day demanding the VC's resignation at a makeshift camp in front of his residence. They were sent to Enam Medical College Hospital at Savar.
Three more students joined with them yesterday to gear up the demand, while the two teachers observing the same programme with the students called off fasting last morning.
Even though the teachers under the banner of “Shikkhak Samaj” called off their agitation Thursday evening after meeting with the prime minister, the students said they would continue the programme until the VC resigned.
Meanwhile, expressing solidarity with the agitators, a number of former students of the university brought out a procession on the campus to press home their four-point charter of demands including the VC's resignation.
Their other demands are punishment of the accused pro-government Chhatra League activists for beating up the cultural activists, judicial enquiry into the killing of Zubair Ahmed and election of students' union (Jucsu).
The students are on hunger strike since Tuesday demanding removal of the VC and protesting assault on cultural activists by Chhatra League on April 28.
Zubair, a fourth-year student of English department succumbed to his injuries on January 9 after he was attacked by the Chhatra League activists centring a previous rivalry.