United News of Bangladesh

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md. Jahangir Alam has said the public are going through immense sufferings due to the protests of the students of Government Titumir College. The Home Adviser made the remark while talking to reporters after a meeting over law and order and security measures on the occasion of Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day. "The students of Titumir College are making people's lives difficult. Their demands keep increasing day by day. You also know who is behind this,” the adviser said. Titumir College students block Mohakhali level crossing in Dhaka; BGB deployed Several hundred students of Government Titumir College have put up barricades on road and Mohakhali level crossing, halting train movement and causing immense suffering to the commuters. Witnesses said the students put up barricades on the road in front of their college demanding university status around 12 pm on Monday, halting vehicular movement in front of Mohakhali Link road area. No plan to declare Titumir College a university: Adviser They also chanted slogans to press home their several demands including university status. The students brought out a procession around 4:30 pm and put up barricades on Mohakhali level crossing, halting the train movement. A long tailback was created from Mohakhali to Jahangir Gate area forcing the people to leave the vehicle and walk a long distance to their destinations. Russel Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station, said additional police were deployed to avert further trouble.  

Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud has made it clear that there is no plan to declare Titumir College an independent university. “An expert committee is working to bring (DU-affiliated) seven colleges under a separate university…the UGC Chairman is leading that committee, Titumir College is one of those colleges,” he said on Sunday. The adviser, who is also in charge of the Planning Ministry, said this while responding to a question after the weekly Ecnec meeting held at NEC conference room. Fixed college-to-university timeline for Titumir unjustified: Education Ministry He mentioned that the seven colleges do not want to be under Dhaka University while the Dhaka University also does not want these seven colleges…this is logical,” he added. The Planning Adviser said there is no problem in demanding a university or waging a student movement. “But the students have to sit for the examination one day, if they do not concentrate on their studies and sit for examinations at this stage of age, they will not be able to do anything in the future.” He mentioned that the general students of Titumir College told him and wrote to him saying that they wanted to sit for classes and examinations. “There should be no hindrance for their academic activities.” The adviser asked the agitating students to throw such programmes that would not create hassles for the mass people. “It is not logical to press home their demands announcing a deadline, we will not take such a decision.” Titumir College students block roads at Mohakhali He also categorically expressed the government's firm stance that the interim government does not have the power to accept this type of demand. “We came here to ensure the transformation of a well governed democratic system in the country, as well as adopt some small reforms towards that,” he said. In response to a question, the Education Adviser clarified that the statement in the press release, which mentioned that the government is giving special consideration to the matter of Titumir College, was not written by him. “The Secretary might have edited that they could do that, maybe it is for diplomacy, or do not know (regarding this matter),” he said. He also expressed his irritation for a huge number of unnecessary public universities in the country. “There are 55 public universities right now, half of them established in the last seven years.” Press Secretary urges Titumir College students to remain calm amid protests Students of Government Titumir College have been agitating on the road for the last couple of days demanding that the college be turned into a university.

Vehicular movement from Mohakhali to Gulshan-1 remained suspended for three hours since Thursday noon as several hundred students of Titumir College put up barricades on the road in front of their college demanding university status of their college. Witnesses said some 250 students of the college took to the street at noon and chanted slogans to press home their several demands including university status. Commuters were facing difficulties to go to their respective destinations due to the blockade. Bus strike hits commuters hard in Barishal Russel Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station, said additional police were deployed to avert further trouble. Amid demonstrations by student of seven colleges including Titumir College, DU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Neaz Ahmad Khan announced that Dhaka University’s affiliation with seven government colleges will be cancelled from the 2024-25 academic session. The Vice Chancellor made the announcement after an emergency meeting with principals of the affiliated colleges at the VC’s office on Monday.