Protesting students, teachers and staff of Jagannath University on Friday evening withdrew their protest programmes after three days of demonstrations in front of the Kakrail Mosque police barricade near the chief adviser鈥檚 official residence Jamuna in the聽 capital Dhaka following the University Grants Commission chairman鈥檚 assurance of meeting their demands.
Addressing the protesters in front of the barricade, UGC chairman Professor SMA Faiz urged the protesting students to have patience and to return to their class rooms as the UGC along with the education and finance ministries was working to solve the JnU issues.
The protesting students and teachers, who began hunger strike on Friday afternoon, broke their hunger strike after the assurance at about 7:45pm.
The JnU Teachers鈥� Association also withdrew the complete shutdown of the university, which was announced on May 15.
Later, JnU Teachers鈥� Association general secretary Professor Rais Uddin at a press briefing at about 8:30pm on Friday withdrew all protest programmes, saying that the government accepted all their demands.
JnU vice-chancellor Professor Rezaul Karim informed the protesters about the decisions taken in an inter-ministerial meeting at the UGC with the representatives of the university administration and the teachers鈥� association.
Rezaul said that the government decided that it would increase budget for expenses for university operations, addressing the protesters鈥� first demand.
The demand was the introduction of 鈥榟ousing stipend鈥� for 70 per cent of the JnU students from the forthcoming financial year and the continuation of the financial support until securing permanent accommodation for all students.
The VC said that the construction of temporary halls would begin soon as per the decision.
He also informed the protesters that steps had already been taken to implement university鈥檚 second campus project on a priority basis.
Earlier on the day, the protesters had begun the pre-announced hunger strike on the third day of their movement.
Over 85 students and teachers began the pre-announced hunger strike after JnU Teachers鈥� Association senior member Monzur Morshed Bhuiya announced the beginning of the programme at 3:45pm.
A group of protesting students had stayed in front of the police barricade for the whole night while several hundred students, teachers and university staff by university buses and with processions joined the sit-in on the day blocking the road for the third day.
On May 14, several hundred JnU students and teachers held 鈥楲ong March to Jamuna鈥�, demanding three-point demands that also included full approval of the proposed university budget for the FY 2025鈥�26 without any cuts, and an immediate approval in the next executive committee of the National Economic Council meeting of the university鈥檚 second campus project and its implementation on a priority basis.
At least 50 teachers and students of JnU were injured in police action on the day when the police intercepted the march to disperse the protesters at the Kakrail Mosque police barricade.
Since then, students, teachers and staff of the university had continued the sit-in in front of the police barricade until the withdrawal on Friday.
