BUHS Students Stage Sit-In Seeking Permanent Campus
Students of Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS) have staged a protest at Technical Junction, demanding the establishment of a permanent campus. They declared that the movement would continue until their demands are met. Chanting slogans, they said, “Education cannot be commercialized, cannot be commercialized. Deception regarding campus cannot continue, cannot continue.”
At around 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 26, the agitating students took to the streets and presented a three-point charter of demands. These included: transfer of the 5.57 acres of government-leased land to BUHS within 24 hours under the agreed conditions; handover of the entire land, fully released of liabilities, from the Bangladesh Diabetic Association to BUHS; and removal of BUHS from the University Grants Commission’s red list.
The protesters stated that the uncertainty over securing a permanent campus has severely disrupted academic activities. They pointed out that for the past 30 days, they have been carrying out a campus-based movement for a permanent campus, following written assurances from authorities. Having received no results, they feel deceived and resorted to staging human chains in front of the campus over the last two days before finally occupying the street.
The aggrieved students further alleged that Professor Dr. A. K. Azad Khan, who heads the Health Sector Reform Commission, also holds positions as the President of the Bangladesh Diabetic Association and the Chairman of the BUHS Board of Trustees. This overlap, they claim, has kept the university in prolonged uncertainty and has pushed its academic activities to the brink of suspension.
They reiterated that repeated protests, including human chains, yielded no outcomes, leaving them with no option but to take their demonstration to the streets.
Notably, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences is the country’s first and only specialized private university in the health sector. Established on October 12, 2012, at Darussalam, Mirpur, by the Bangladesh Diabetic Association, BUHS offers academic programs and research in various fields of health sciences.
