The agitating students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology- SUST in Sylhet have broken their eight-day hunger strike demanding the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor. They broke their fast at 10:20 am on Wednesday with the assurance of science writer and technologist Zafar Iqbal and his wife Professor Yasmin Haque. The sick students who came from the hospital along with the students on campus also broke their fast.
Earlier, at 3:54 am on Tuesday, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal came to the main gate of the university. At around 4 o’clock he met the agitated students and he talked to those who were on hunger strike. His wife Yasmin Haque was also present there with him at the time.
After breaking the fast, writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said, “Before I came here, they talked to me from a very high level of government. I came here after a talk with them. I will ask them to keep the words they gave me.”
He also called for the release of the arrested alumni and withdrawal of charges against the students.
Nafisa Anjum Emu, one of the protesters, said that their movement would continue even though the hunger strike was broken.
On January 13, several hundred students of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall started a movement demanding three points including the resignation of Hall provost, alleging misconduct with students. At one stage, the Bangladesh Chhatra League activists attacked the agitating students. Police beat the students and fired shots and sound grenades at them. Later this movement turned into a one point demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed.
Today is the 14th day of the movement. As the demands were not met in the first six days, 24 students went on a hunger strike in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence from 3 pm on January 19. One of the fasting students went home after receiving the news of the severe illness of his father. Five more agitating students joined the hunger strike from 8 pm last Saturday and started a mass hunger strike. Those who were in the hospital were brought from the hospital this morning. Others were on a hunger strike in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence. In all, 27 students on hunger strike broke their fast today. Another hunger striker has been hospitalized due to surgery.
