SUST: Students Declare VC 'Unwanted' on Campus

Students have locked the administrative building of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). At that time, the Vice-Chancellor of the University Farid Uddin Ahmed was declared unwanted on the campus.

The university campus has been throbbing with protests since Monday (January 17th) morning in protest of the attacks on students.

Earlier, more than 50 students, including teachers, were injured when police charged batons, rubber bullets and sound grenades at them on Sunday night. Students are protesting on campus with different slogans in protest.

On Monday (January 17), the students locked the residence of the vice-chancellor around 2.30 pm.

The students said that since our class-examination has been declared closed, no administrative activities will be allowed in the university. So we have locked all the buildings including the VC building. The registrar's building was not locked as only admission process was going on.

VC Farid Uddin Ahmed has alleged that outsiders are leading the students' movement.

"The movement is now fueled by some outsiders," he said. I have information that outsiders have entered the campus since Sunday night.

However, the agitating students have denied the VC's demand. They say the vice chancellor is lying to cover up the incident. There is no outsider on campus except the police.

An investigation committee was formed headed by the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences, University Administration, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rashed Talukder.

Earlier, protesting students blocked Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed at around 3:15 pm on Sunday. The agitating students were outraged when the vice-chancellor left his office and went to a meeting of the deans. Accompanying teachers, officials and employees took refuge in the ICT building of the university. Later, the agitating students blocked the main gate of the building and started chanting slogans.

The protesters prevented the police in the afternoon to free the Vice-Chancellor at around 5:30 pm. At one stage of the altercation, the police fired 27 rounds of rubber bullets and 21 sound grenades, beat the students with sticks and released the vice-chancellor. At least 50 students and several teachers and policemen were injured.