The agitating students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have reiterated their demand for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin in their meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni. Dipu said that demand for the resignation of the VC will be presented to the president as he, also the Chancellor of the university, holds the power to appoint and remove someone in the post of VC. The students raised a total of eight demands during the three-hour meeting with the education minister at the Circuit House in Sylhet on Friday. After the meeting, Dipu told reporters, "We have listened to them attentively during the discussions." "However, some of the demands of the students have already been met. Their main demand is the resignation or removal of the VC," she added. The other demands made by the students- start of classes and examinations, withdrawal of cases against students, opening of closed mobile banking accounts of more than 250 students, provision of one-time financial assistance to student Sajal Kunda who was injured in police firing and confirmation of ninth grade job for him, recruit Md Zafar Iqbal and Yasmin Haque as Emeritus Professors, increase the budget for research in all universities, implementation of coding system in examination system, introduction of recruitment process on the basis of PhD and demo class in teacher recruitment. Apart from Dipu Moni, Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed were in the meeting with the students, teachers and different SUST organisations. Meanwhile, Dipu Moni advised Farid Uddin Ahmed to fulfill his responsibilities as the VC of SUST, said SUST Registrar Md Ishfaqul Hussain. He also said the minister called upon the teachers to restore normalcy on campus during the talks. The education minister also informed that the allegations made by students against the VC are being investigated, said SUST Treasurer Anwarul Islam.

Education Minister Dipu Moni will hold a meeting with the students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology University (SUST) on Friday as they resumed demonstrations demanding Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed’s resignation. “The personal secretary to the minister said she’ll start for Sylhet at 8 am and will hold a meeting with SUST students,” Mujibor Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet, told UNB on Thursday. Meanwhile, the SUST authorities removed its proctor Dr Md Alamgir Kabir, whose resignation was one of the demands of protesting students.  Md Ishrat Ibne Ismail, Associate Professor of the English Department of SUST, has been made the new proctor, according to a notice signed by registrar Isfaqul Hossain on Thursday. The notice, however, mentioned personal and family issues as the reason for his withdrawal. Earlier on February 6, the authorities appointed Prof Amina Parveen of the Department of Social Work as the new Student Counselling and Guidance Director removing Prof Zahir Uddin Ahmed from the position due to his “sickness”. SUST students brought out a procession on the campus on Thursday morning and marked the place with a red handprint where police attacked them in front of IICT building on January 16, said Shahria Abedin, a protesting student.

A case has been filed against 200-300 unnamed students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on charges of obstructing police from performing their duties and attacking them. Md Abdul Hannan, sub-inspector (SI) of Jalalabad Police Station, filed the case around 8:30 pm on Monday. Md Abu Khaleque, officer-in-charge of Jalalabad Police Station, accepted the case and instructed SI Md Asaduzzaman to investigate it. Read: Sack V-C, SUST students urge President According to the case statement, the SUST students were staging demonstrations on Sunday to press home their three-point demand, including the resignation of Jafrin Ahmed, provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury, and confined VC Farid Uddin Ahmed to a room. The students reportedly obstructed police from performing their duties around 5.30 pm when they went there to rescue the VC. Around 200 to 300 students suddenly attacked the policemen and tried to snatch the firearms of police. They threw brickbats at the police and exploded cocktails, creating panic on the campus, according to the case statement. Later, police opened fire and exploded 21 sound grenades to bring the situation under control, it said.