SUST Movement: A year of unkept promises
A year has gone by since the students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) suspended their movement for the removal of the vice chancellor and other demands.
It has been exactly one year since the protesting students were promised by Education Minister Dipu Moni and Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury that all their demands will be fulfilled.
However, most of their five-point demands, including their key demand of the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, have not yet been fulfilled.
The case filed against students has not been withdrawn yet.
Treatment of Sazal Kundu, the student who was fatally injured during a police firing, has been stopped. His struggle with pain after being hit by more than 70 splinters in his body continues.
The university administration has been alleged to be creating an atmosphere of fear on the campus. Students who participated in the protest are allegedly being harassed in their academic and administrative activities.
The probe body -- formed by the university after the clash with the police -- is yet to submit its report.
The Daily Star recently spoke with Sazal Kundu and Mohaiminul Bashar Raj, the spokesperson of the movement.
"I'm not well. The splinters remain inside my body, including two near my lungs. I have breathing difficulties and the grip of my right hand is not firm yet," said Sazal.
"I was beaten, shot, subjected to mental abuse. Yet, no one from the university authorities came forward for my treatment after the initial operation. I don't have the money to buy my medicines, let alone to financially support my family," he added.
Mohaiminul Bashar Raj said, "After Prof Zafar Iqbal's assurance, we withdrew the hunger strike and had a meeting with education ministry officials. An intelligence official was present there, who told us that to ensure a win-win situation for the government, the VC will be removed after 3-4 months through a formal process."
"The education minister also assured that they will discuss the matter with the Chancellor. Since then, we have been constantly being told the same things and promised that our demands will be met in the following month," he added.
According to their other demands, the proctor and the student advisor were removed from their positions, while a case against former SUST students was withdrawn and the bank accounts of students were opened.
Raj said, "When asked about the resignation of the vice-chancellor, Sir (Dr Zafar Iqbal) told me that the higher-ups from the government always assure him that they are working on our demands every time he asks."
However, despite repeated attempts, this newspaper could not contact Professor Zafar Iqbal or his wife Professor Yasmeen Haque over the phone.
The VC could not be contacted as well as he was out of the country while the report was being prepared.
When asked about the allegations of the students, the university's Director of Student Counselling and Guidance Professor Amina Parveen said, "No student has informed me of any such matter, so I have nothing to comment on. There were some abnormalities initially after the movement. But now the relationship between teachers and students is completely normal."
Contacted, Professor Md Rashed Talukder, head of the probe body formed after the incidents of January 16, said, "We recorded the testimony of the teachers and staffers. However, the students did not cooperate. Later the members of the committees were also changed. We were asked to submit a report and hope to submit it soon."
Residential students of the university's Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall started a demonstration on January 13 this year over a few demands, which was later joined by other students on January 16.
On that day, the students confronted their VC, who was confined to MA Wazed Miah IICT Building.
In a mission to rescue the VC, police charged truncheons, and opened rubber bullets and sound grenades on the students, injuring at least 30 of them. After this move by the authorities, the protest took an anti-VC stance, demanding his removal.
On January 19, 24 students started a hunger strike, and later, five more joined in.
The strike was withdrawn after being publicly assured by Prof Zafar Iqbal and Prof Yasmeen Haque, both former professors of the university, that "higher-ups" in the government promised them that the demands will be fulfilled.
On February 11, Dipu Moni and Mohibul Hasan went to Sylhet and met the protesting students.
On assurance of fulfilling all demands in the quickest possible time and forwarding the demand of VC's removal to the president, the students on February 12 suspended their movement.