Teachers of Rajshahi University on Tuesday staged a sit-in at ‘Shaheed Buddhijibi Chattar’ on the campus protesting ‘ police action on Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) students and expressing solidarity with the ongoing students’ movement.
The teachers urged the government to accept the demands of the SUST students.
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Addressing the protest programme, Abdullah Al Mamun, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism department said, “Police attack on students is noting new. The students of this university were also attacked on the previous days. The peaceful movement in 2014 was attacked. In 2003, Rokeya Hall students were attacked during peaceful protest. The attack incidents are still happening. Why did it happen at SUST? Just because they spoke against dictetorship!”
Kazi Mamun Haider, assistant professor in the same department, said, I have seen the students’ movement for the last 10-20 years. In SUST, they wanted to compromise with the administration. The students have been on hunger strike for more than 140 hours but the government is not paying attention to them. We have started the movement supporting the SUST students and our program will continue.
Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib of Physics department, Professor Sauvik Reza of Bangla department and Professor Syed. Ali Reza of Management Studies department were present at the demonstration.
Read:SUST protest: Proctor-led team fails to reach food, medicines to embattled VC
Abdul Majid Ontor, convener of RUCSU Andalan Manch, Shakila Khatun, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union of RU unit, Mohabbat Hossain Milon, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation of RU and leaders and activists of other left-leaning student organizations and students of different departments took part in the sit-in.
Earlier, Dr. Farid Khan, a Professor of Economics department, staged a ‘silent protest’ on Sunday from 11.00 am to 01.00 pm in front of the administrative building of the university demanding the resignation of SUST Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin.