JU teachers, students continue demonstration for withdrawal of cases against 42 students

Over 100 teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) yesterday continued their demonstration on the campus to press home their eight-point demand including withdrawal of cases against 42 students, including 12 females, filed for allegedly vandalising JU vice chancellor’s residence on May 27 night.

At a human chain formed under the banner of “Teacher-Student Unity Platform” on the JU central Shaheed Minar premises, demonstrators said they expected that the university authorities would withdraw the cases following the next syndicate meeting. But they did not take any decision in this regard in Saturday’s meeting.

On May 27, marketing student Nazmul Hasan Rana, 24, and microbiology student Arafat, 24, were killed as a bus rammed a human-hauler carrying them on Dhaka-Aricha highway in C&B bus stand area of Savar around 5:00am.

Protesting the incident, agitating students blocked the highway with some demands, including installation of speed breakers, when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse them. Later, they besieged the VC’s house to know why such action was taken against them when the 42 were held and later were shown arrested in vandalism case. The next day, all the 42 were released on bail.

Yesterday, the demonstrators also demanded formation of a new body for investigating the whole incident as three out of six members of the incumbent probe body are syndicate members,  holding JU proctor accountable for being absent on that crucial day, and compensations for both the victim families.

Prof Sayeed Ferdous, convener of the platform, conducted the event where Prof Nasim Akhter Hossain also spoke.