Deadlock at Bhasani University
Students thank ministry but vow to continue fast unto death
Students of food technology and nutritional science department of Maolana Bhasani University of Science and Technology continue their fast unto death programme on the tenth day yesterday.Photo: STAR
Students of food technology and nutritional science (FTNS) department at Maolana Bhasani University of Science and Technology (MBUST) continued their fast unto death programme for the tenth day yesterday to realise their two-point demand. The demands are giving BSc (Engineering) degree instead of BSc (Honours) degree to FTNS students and removal of the vice-chancellor (VC) of the university. Around 60 of the fasting students of the department fell sick in the last few days and were admitted to Tangail General Hospital. Three of them have been sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) as their condition deteriorated. Meanwhile, the education ministry in a handout, signed by its senior information officer Subodh Chandra, on Sunday expressed sympathy to the fasting FTNS students and urged them to withdraw their programme and return to classes. The handout said no university has the authority to change any degree overriding the opinions of the experts concerned. The ministry also sought cooperation of the guardians so that the students return to classes ending their fasting programme. The students thanked the ministry for issuing the handout on the ninth day of their fast unto death programme. However, they rejected the 'so-called' experts' opinions submitted by the university authorities to the ministry terming those 'false and fabricated'. The agitating students claimed that the ministry is hesitating to accept their logical demand, as the university, especially the VC, are not extending cooperation. They also expressed their determination to continue their programme until the demands are met. Over 200 students of the department have been boycotting their classes since July 12 and holding a series of agitations on the campus and in the town demanding BSc (Engineering) degree instead of BSc (Honours) degree. To realise the demand, they started the latest fast unto death programme at Saheed Smrity Pouro Udyan in Tangail town on May 14.
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