BAU protest ends after order to vacate halls pulled

City Desk :

Students at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) have called off their protest after the university authorities withdrew the hall eviction notice and provided assurances that classes and exams would resume within a week.

The decision came late Tuesday following five hours of talks between student representatives and the administration.

The protests were initially launched over the demand for a “combined degree” for veterinary and animal husbandry faculties, but no resolution on that has been reached yet.

The matter will be decided by the university Syndicate, said Prof ShahidulHaque, the student affairs advisor, after the talks, reports bdnews24.com.

Student leader AHM Himel said the demonstrations were halted based on these assurances, but warned they would resume action if the pledges were broken.

Unrest broke out after outsiders attacked students demonstrating for a combined degree, triggering new six-point demands that included an apology from the vice-chancellor, the arrest of the attackers, and the withdrawal of eviction orders.

On Tuesday, for a second straight day, students blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh rail line. A group also locked up a bank branch and the university treasury office.

Later at 7pm, a 40-member delegation of protesters entered unconditional talks with the administration. The discussions lasted until midnight at the agriculture faculty hall, with Vice-Chancellor Prof AKM FazlulHaqueBhuiyan joining via Zoom.

The VC said the dialogue was “fruitful” and confirmed that students would be allowed to stay in halls. The Syndicate is expected to formally revoke the eviction directive on Wednesday, he added.

Himelsummarised the agreements reached: the hall eviction order would be withdrawn, classes and exams would resume within a week, outsiders behind the attack would be identified and punished, no harassment of protesters would occur, and the combined degree demand would be discussed at the Syndicate.

Students of the veterinary and animal husbandry faculties had been demonstrating for nearly a month, demanding a unified degree.

When the Academic Council failed to resolve the matter on Sunday, students confined around 200 teachers and officials, including the VC, inside a hall.

That evening, 250-300 outsiders armed with local weapons chased the students away and broke the locks, freeing the trapped teachers. At least 10 people, including a student journalist, were injured.

In response, the syndicate held an emergency meeting online and declared the university closed indefinitely, ordering all students to vacate halls by 9am Monday.

Students defied the order and continued their protest until Tuesday’s settlement.