Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday walked on foot from Dhaka University’s Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban to the Prof Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium in the Faculty of Social Sciences, in an unprecedented moment in campus history.
The Prime Minister began walking shortly before 12:00pm after attending the inaugural session of a national workshop titled “Transforming Higher Education in Bangladesh: Roadmap to Sustainable Excellence,” organised by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh at the Senate Bhaban.
Despite an official motorcade being prepared outside the Senate Bhaban, Tarique Rahman chose to walk to the Social Sciences Faculty building near the Arts building (Kala Bhaban) to join an interactive session with students.
As students saw the Prime Minister walking through the campus, many clapped their hands while others chanted slogans.
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly, who accompanied him during the walk, described the moment as historic. “This is not only a first in Bangladesh’s history, but also in the history of Dhaka University – a head of government walking through the campus so freely to attend an event. It is a rare incident,” he said.
He noted that previous visits by heads of government to the campus were often marked by protests, counter-slogans, or clashes. “However, there was no such scene today.”
Saleh Shibly said students in the hundreds gathered along the path, many applauding, chanting slogans, and waving at the Prime Minister as he made his way through the campus.
At the Prof Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium, the Prime Minister took part in an open question-and-answer session with around 150 students, where he responded candidly to a range of academic and campus-related issues.
The event drew such an overwhelming response that many students, unable to find seats inside the auditorium, watched the Prime Minister’s live interaction on their mobile phones from different spots across the campus.
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Prof Morshed Hasan Khan, convener of the event organising committee, described the Prime Minister’s walk as “remarkable history.”
“There has never been an example of any head of government walking through the university campus like this without a heavy security cordon. There were students of diverse views and ideological backgrounds. But their reaction was truly memorable.”