SUST Students Instructed to Leave Residence Hall

The campus of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has been declared closed indefinitely due to clashes between police and agitating students. At the same time, students have been instructed to leave the hall by 12 noon tomorrow, Monday (January 17).

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed confirmed the matter around 9 pm on Sunday (January 16).

He said the university has been declared closed sine die due to the situation. Students will have to leave the hall by 12 noon tomorrow.

Earlier, police clashed with students in front of the University's Institute of Information and Communication Technology (IICT) building at around 5.30 pm.

In the afternoon, the students blocked the Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed at the IICT building of the university for not accepting the three-point demand. When the police went to rescue the vice-chancellor, there were clashes with the students. Police later fired tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse the students and rescued the vice-chancellor from the IICT building. Several students were injured in the incident.

According to campus sources, the teachers' association leaders and proctorial body led by the university's treasurer Mohammad Anwarul Islam came to the agitating students around 5:30 pm. At that time, the treasurer told the agitating students that the vice-chancellor had fallen ill as he was stuck inside. He has to be taken home. The agitating students then demanded to accept their demands. At this time the agitating students got into an argument with the teachers.

At one point, police members entered the university's IICT building and went to free the blocked vice-chancellor. At that time the protesting students prevented the police from entering. The students threw brickbats at the police. The police retreated for some time but after a while they dispersed the students by throwing sound grenades. Police then entered the IICT building, rescued the vice-chancellor and took him to his residence.