Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will stage a demonstration in the capital on Tuesday protesting the arrest of the party leaders and activists including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the police action at their central office. The programme will be held at 2pm in front of the party’s central office at Nayapaltan. Read more: BNP’s Nayapaltan office reopens after 4 days of police raid BNP's standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain announced the programme at a press conference at its central office on Monday. Besides, their party’s all city and district units will hold mass processions on the same day on same ground as per their prescheduled programme announced from Golapbagh rally . This would be BNP’s first programme in front of their central office after its closure following police raid on the office. Read more: 5 BNP MPs submit resignation to JS Speaker On Sunday noon, the central office at Nayapaltan was reopened after four days. On December 7, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally. On December 8, a Dhaka court sent 445 BNP leaders and activists including Annie and Salam to jail in two cases filed over the December 7 violence. Besides, in the early hours of December 9, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Mirza Fakhrul and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city. A Dhaka court sent Mirza Fakhrul and Abbas to jail rejecting their bail petitions in the case on the same day. Later they were shown arrested in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act with Paltan police station over the clash.

Vice-Chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Farid Uddin Ahmed expressed regret over the police action on protesting students on January 16. “I express my sincere sympathy to all of those, including students, teachers and staff injured in the unwanted incident on that day,” he said in a press statement. The statement reads: “I express my sincere regret over the incident and I also express my gratitude to the teachers, students and staff who are trying to overcome the stalemate.” The VC expressed regret a day after Education Minister Dipu Moni visited the university on Saturday. Read: Now SUST students want removal of new proctor Farid Uddin Ahmed also thanked deputy education minister, the government officials concerned, Awami League leaders and members of law enforcement agencies, media workers who played a responsible role in restoring normalcy on the campus. The VC also urged all to play their role in restoring the normal academic atmosphere and normal activities on the campus. On Friday, the SUST agitating students reiterated their demand for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin at their meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni.

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. Read:Day 7 of hunger strike: Medical support for protesting SUST students withdrawn 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.

Different student organisations staged demonstrations on Dhaka University campus on Monday protesting the ‘police action’ on the students of Shahajalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). Pragatishil Student Jote, an alliance of left-leaning organisations, held a protest rally at the foot of anti-terrorism Raju memorial sculpture at around 12.30 pm to express their solidarity with of the protesting students of SUST. Dipak Shil, General secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, said, " We observed the 50th anniversary of our independence but out universities are still under the clutches of culprits. Yesterday, SUST VC ordered police action on the students. Earlier, they were attacked by Chhatra League men too." Also read: SUST students now demanding VC’s resignation He condemned the attack on the students and demanded the removal of the SUST VC.