SUST VC Apologises Over Cop Attack on Students

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin on Saturday offered his apology over the police attack on protesting students on January 16, reports media.

Terming the event ‘undesirable’, the SUST VC expressed his regret through a press statement.

“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 the statement.

The statement came a day after Education Minister Dipu Moni visited the university on Saturday.

“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 statement read.

Farid Uddin also thanked the 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 students reiterated their demand for the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin at their meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni, UNB reported.

Dipu Moni said the demand for the resignation of the VC will be placed before the President as he is the Chancellor of the university, holding 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.

A three-member ministerial team, led by Education Minister Dipu Moni, reached Sylhet Friday morning to hold talks with the SUST protesting students.

The students resumed their protests on Wednesday, after their demand for the removal of VC was not met. They also called for the resignation of the new proctor.

The SUST authorities removed Dr Md Alamgir Kabir from the post of proctor, whose resignation was one of the demands of protesting students.

SUST English Department Associate Professor Md Ishrat Ibne Ismail was 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 Alamgir Kabir’s 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.

They called for re-activating more than 250 mobile banking accounts of students and withdrawal of the two cases filed by police against the students.

The students resumed their protests on Wednesday, as their demand for the removal of the VC is yet to be met.

The students marched the campus with placards and photographs of police actions on the protesters on January 16.

Over two dozen SUST students went on fast unto death ended their week-long hunger strike on January 26. They broke the fast after former SUST Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal persuaded them.

The students embarked on fast-unto-death on the university campus on January 19, demanding resignation of the VC over the police crackdown on their fellows.

The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets.

On the other hand, police filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students.

The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.

Zafrin Ahmed, a former provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints.

She later resigned from her post, citing health issues.