BUET Students Slam Strike as Sinister Scheme
Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) have termed the announcement of a railway blockade in Gazipur by technical students as “incitement to violent movement and a deep conspiracy.” Speaking at a press conference under the banner of Prokoushol Odhikar Andolon on September 16 at the BUET cafeteria premises, the students stated that blockades, instead of dialogue, cannot be considered a rational solution.
They also voiced concerns over the social media activities of a few members of the committee formed on the issue. The protesting students alleged that, much like in 2013, some actors were again abandoning rational means and attempting to instigate violence.
BUET student Zubair Ahmed, raising the question of why blockades are being instigated at the cost of public suffering, said at the press conference: “In response to the three-point demands of engineering students, the relevant administration sat for discussions. After scrutinizing the demands, they invited both engineers and diploma-holders to the table. Everyone was given an equal opportunity to present their arguments so that no one faced any discrimination.”
In a written statement, BUET students alleged that despite the opportunity for resolution at the dialogue table, technical students had announced the blockade in Gazipur. They further claimed that the same representatives of the diploma-holders who had joined the discussions were now calling for blockades and continuously inciting violent movements.
The written statement noted that blockades outside of dialogue cannot be a rational solution, adding: “These are merely ploys to create chaos and a deep conspiracy, which are steering a traditional movement down a different path.”
It further read: “Those who abandon the dialogue table to create anarchy in the country through blockades must have their real motives and agendas scrutinized.”
BUET students emphasized that “there is no need to hold the public hostage through blockades to realize logical demands. If demands are reasonable, the authorities concerned will take them into consideration on their own initiative.”
