RU students lock admin building over 3 demands

A group of students at Rajshahi University (RU) locked the Syed Nazrul Islam Administrative Building on Thursday to press for three demands, including the cancellation of the dependent quota. They stated that the lock would remain in place until their demands are met, and no one would be allowed to enter or exit the building.

The students’ demands include the cancellation of the dependent quota, punishment for teachers, staff, and employees who opposed the July Uprising, and the appointment of two teachers with alleged ties to the Awami League as assistant proctors. 

During the protest, Salahuddin Ammar, one of the key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the university, said, "This administration was not appointed to serve the interests of teachers, staff, and employees. It was appointed to implement the legitimate demands of the students. If you consider students' rightful demands as unjust, then you are a fascist. Not only the Awami League, but those working to justify the unjust are the real fascists. You are calling us conspirators, but we are calling the VC, pro-VC, and everyone in the administrative building fascist collaborators."

He further stated, "Either you cancel the dependent quota, find the allies of the Awami League and file cases against them, or the VC and Registrar will publicly apologise for appointing fascist allies as assistant proctors. Otherwise, the administrative building will remain locked."

The Vice-Chancellor of Rajshahi University, Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib, said, "We have decided to maintain a 1% quota for third and fourth-class general employees after thorough analysis. If you look into it, you will see that this is justified for them. If their situation improves in the future, this quota may be removed. However, this year, the 1% will remain."

Regarding the allegations of Awami League-affiliated teachers, staff, and employees, the Vice-Chancellor stated, "We do not have the authority to punish anyone without specific allegations. If complaints are made, we will definitely investigate and take appropriate action."

He also addressed the appointment of two teachers with alleged ties to the Awami League as assistant proctors, acknowledging a mistake in the process and assuring that the administration is taking the utmost precautions to prevent such incidents in the future.

Earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, the university's Admissions Committee held an emergency meeting and decided to allocate 1% of the quota for the children of third and fourth-class employees. This decision led the students to lock the administrative building on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by the committee's president, Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib.