Fast Unto death at Bhasani University Continues
Guardians form human chain, back students' demands
Guardians of the students of Food Technology of Nutritional Science (FTNS) department at Maolana Bhasani University of Science and Technology (MBUST) formed a human chain in Tangail town yesterday demanding immediate steps to meet the demands of the agitating students of the department.Photo: STAR
Guardians of the students of Food Technology of Nutritional Science department at Maolana Bhasani University of Science and Technology (MBUST) here formed a human chain in the town yesterday demanding immediate steps to meet the demands of the agitating students. They held the programme at Zila Sadar Road in the morning. Talking to newsmen they urged the authorities concerned including the Chancellor and education minister to take steps to remove the vice-chancellor (VC) of the university and confer BSc (Engineering) degree in place of BSc (Honours) degree on successful students of Food Technology of Nutritional Science department (FTNS). Over 200 students of the department continued their fast unto death programme for the four days yesterday at Shaheed Smrity Pouro Udyan in the town to realise their two-point demand. Twenty-one students fell sick in the last two days and they were admitted to the Tangail General Hospital. Of the students, condition of Rana, a third year student, is stated to be critical. He was under life support till filing of this report yesterday afternoon. Dr Farhad Ali, medical officer of the four-member medical team deployed by the district health department there to treat the sick students, said the students were seriously falling sick because of long fasting, dehydration, tension and lack of sleep for several nights. Anwara Begum, mother of second year student Tahmina Akter, said: “The students are falling sick one after another, but the university authorities seem indifferent to it.” “The university administration, especially the VC, will be held responsible if the condition of any student goes beyond control,” she added. Abdur Rashid, father of third year student Akteruzzaman, said their innocent and meritorious children have been holding peaceful agitation for about one year to realise their logical demand. But, the 'incompetent' university administration, turning a deaf ear to the issue, is continuing brutal torture and harassment on the students, he added. The university authorities have filed three criminal cases under Speedy Trial Act against over 200 students of the department bringing false allegations, expelled 45 of them and also declared all the students of the department 'unwanted' on the campus, he said. Contacted, Prof Nurul Islam, VC of MBUST, told this correspondent yesterday that the FTNS students have little chance to get engineering degree as their syllabus does not equal the course of degree at all.
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