Strike at BAU continues

A section of students confine BAU vice-chancellor to his residence yesterday, demanding resumption of classes and punishment of those who forced the teachers and the students to boycott classes. Photo: Star

A section of students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) kept Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Md Rafiqul Haque confined to his residence since Tuesday night, demanding resumption of classes and punishment of those who forced the teachers and the students to boycott classes.
 On Tuesday night, police charged batons when the students under the banner of 'Students Association' were staging a sit-in in front of the VC's residence. At least three students were injured during the baton charge.
Later, the students barricaded the main road in front of the VC's residence.
BCL unit of BAU at a press conference yesterday blamed the VC for the ongoing crisis and also gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the university authorities demanding resumption of classes and punishment of the 'attackers who forced' the general students and teachers to boycott classes.
They also threatened a tougher agitation, if the congenial atmosphere was not ensured on the campus within the deadline.
Meanwhile, at an emergency meeting around 9:00pm on Tuesday night, BAU authorities appointed Prof Dr Zahirul Haque Khondaker of animal nutrition department as advisor, Prof Dr Md Alamgir Hossain of crop botany department as ffficer on special duty and Prof Dr Sukumar Saha of microbiology and hygiene department as provost of Ashraful Haque Hall, following the resignation of the persons concerned from their posts on April 15.
Registrar Md Abdul Khaleque, registrar of confirmed the matter yesterday.
On the other hand, the indefinite strike called by the general students of BAU demanding arrest and capital punishment for all the killers of Saad continued for the second day yesterday. No classes or examinations were held yesterday.
The agitating students around 9:00am brought out a protest procession on the campus and staged a sit-in in front of the university administration building.
Later, the agitating student leaders sat in a meeting with the newly appointed officials but failed to reach any decision regarding the ongoing crisis.
The crisis began on April 2 this year, after Saad Ibney Momtaj, a final-year student of fisheries faculty of the university, succumbed to his injuries at a private clinic on April 1, a day after some unruly BCL men beat him up mercilessly at Ashraful Haque Hall on the campus.