Agitating students of Rajshahi University (RU) vandalised the nameplates of four residential halls and a model school on Wednesday night, alleging that they contained "fascist symbols" and renamed them with new identities.
The protest, which began at around 9pm and concluded at 11pm at the university's Joha Chattar, saw students targeting the nameplates of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Sheikh Hasina Hall, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, the under-construction AHM Kamaruzzaman Hall, and Sheikh Russell Model School.
The protesters renamed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall as 'Shaheed Raihan Hall,' Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall as 'Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hall,' and Sheikh Russell Model School as 'Riyagop Model School.'
Sheikh Mujib’s mural, AL office vandalised in Chuadanga
RU Proctor Prof Mahbubur Rahman said, “The administration has no involvement in what happened today. Any official change of hall names would only be made following a syndicate meeting.”
The demonstrators accused Sheikh Hasina of being a "fugitive" and claimed the act was aimed at erasing what they termed “cultural traces of a murderer.”
Fahim Reza, coordinator of the RU anti-discrimination student movement, said, “The murderer Hasina is trying to revive before the soil stained with the blood of my brothers dries up. We, the revolutionary students of the university, held this programme to erase the cultural traces of the murderer Hasina.”