Students lay siege to National University

Students of different colleges under National University lay siege to the NU campus in Gazipur yesterday demanding immediate solution of the session jam at honours level at the university.Photo: STAR

Several hundred students of different colleges under National University (NU) yesterday laid siege to the NU campus in Gazipur demanding immediate solution of the session jam at honours level at the university.
They also blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway by setting fire to tyres and banners and vandalised dozens of vehicles, leading to traffic congestion on the highway, said witnesses and police.
Road communications returned to normal after Joydevpur police rushed the spot and drove the students away.
The students, under the banner of Session Jot Niroshon Chhatra Parishad, gathered in front of the NU campus around 11:00am to press home their seven-point demand.
The agitating students said the NU authorities did not take any step to meet their demands in the one-month time the students gave to the authorities following the education minister's assurance on June 5.
Their demands include permanent solution of the session jam, preparing an academic calendar and its implementation, taking viva voce 15 days within the written examination, publishing results within three months after the examination, and formulation of question papers by NU teachers.
Khandakar Raihan, president of the Parishad, said a seven-member representative went to submit a memorandum to the vice chancellor of the university but instead gave a copy to Acting Registrar Mollah Mahfuz Hossain as the VC was absent at the time.
However, the unhappy students demanded a meeting with the VC.
The registrar said he received the copy of the memorandum and that necessary steps to meet the students' demand would be taken immediately.
Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Joydevpur police, said the students withdrew the siege after being assured of having a meeting with the VC.