A group of students from Jagannath University (JnU) have staged a protest in front of the Secretariat, demanding the handover of the construction work for the university's second campus to the army, along with five other demands, including the inclusion of the project in the UGC's pilot scheme.
They started blockade in front of the Gate 1 of the Secretariat around 2:30 pm on Monday (November 11). Earlier in the day, general students from the university initiated a mass procession, with more than two thousand students participating.
The spokesperson for the movement, student Tausib Mahmood Sohan, said, "We will give the Ministry of Education a three-day ultimatum regarding our demands. At the same time, they must prioritise Jagannath University for the HIT project and provide a written commitment by today."
The students' demands include: holding the corrupt project director, appointed during the autocratic regime, accountable under the law; appointing a competent army officer as the project director within seven days; an official declaration from the Ministry of Education confirming the handover of the second campus project to the army; providing a clear outline of the handover process (with priority given to the hall); the immediate acquisition of the remaining 11 acres of land; and the cancellation of all unethical agreements made during the autocratic regime regarding the old campus.
As soon as the students began their protest in front of Gate 1, all gates of the Secretariat were closed. As a result, no vehicles were able to enter or exit the Secretariat.