DU cancels affiliation amid protests
Uncertainty looms over the fate of students of Dhaka University-affiliated seven colleges as the university authorities on Monday decided to cancel their affiliation following the overnight clashes between the university students and the students of the colleges in the capital.
DU vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan at a press conference on Monday said that no student would be admitted in the colleges under DU from the 2024-2025 academic year.
He said that DU authorities would be responsible for only those students of the colleges, who are now under the university鈥檚 academic programme.
University Grants Commission chairman Professor SMA Faiz, also head of an expert committee formed by the education ministry in the past year to review the demands of the students of seven colleges for a separate university, told 抖阴精品 that the DU authorities鈥� decision was not the decision of the government.
鈥榃e are waiting for the decision of the education ministry regarding the seven colleges,鈥� he added.
Dhaka College principal Professor AKM Elius said that there was no decision so far about the authorities under which the seven colleges would admit students in the 2024-25 academic year.
It would require about one month for a decision in this regard, he added.聽
During the overnight clashes that began at about 11:30pm on Sunday and ended at about 4:00am on Monday on the DU campus, Nilkhet, and New Market areas, about 50 students and 25 police personnel were injured, claimed the representatives of the students of the colleges and the police.
DU authorities have suspended all examinations and classes for the university and the seven colleges scheduled for Monday, citing unavoidable circumstances.
Following this, the students of the seven colleges on Monday issued a 24-hour ultimatum for holding accountable and withdrawal of the police officers responsible for attacking the students during the clashes and the resignation of DU pro-vice-chancellor (education) professor Mamun Ahmed.
They, at a press conference, also announced that they would lay siege to the New Market Police Station if their demands were not met by that time.
Additional police personnel were deployed in the Nilkhet area throughout Monday to avoid any untoward situation.
The students of the Government Titumir College and the Government Bangla College, two of the seven colleges, staged demonstrations in their college areas.
On February 17, 2017, the government affiliated Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shaheed聽 Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women鈥檚 College, Mirpur Government Bangla College and Government Titumir College with Dhaka University following the order of the then prime minister to bring all public colleges under public universities at different places across the country.
Earlier, these colleges were under the National University.
After the affiliation, crises were seen on a regular basis as students of the seven colleges alleged that the DU authorities failed to run them properly.
In 2024, the students staged a large movement in October, to push for the establishment of an autonomous university to govern the colleges and the education ministry on December 29 formed an expert committee to form an outline for an independent institutional structure equivalent to a university.
On Sunday afternoon, 50 representatives of the seven colleges went to the DU pro-vice-chancellor Mamun Ahmed to press home their demands and locked in an altercation.
Following this, the college students blocked the Science Laboratory crossing in the evening and continued their protests till late at night.
At one point of their demonstration, at about 11:30pm on Sunday, the students of the colleges and the DU chased each other and locked in clashes. The skirmish continued till 4:00am on Monday.
During the clashes, the students hurled brickbats targeting each other.
Police lobbed tear gas shells and fired sound grenades to bring the situation under control.
New Market police station officer-in-charge Md Mohsin Uddin said that they had fired some sound grenades to bring the situation under control.
鈥�20 or 25 police personnel were injured during the clash,鈥� he added.聽
Dhaka College student and a member of the seven-college movement committee, Sajib Hasan, claimed that at least 50 students were injured in the clash.
As the clash flared early Monday, four platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh personnel and a huge number of the members of law enforcement agencies were deployed at the area.
The DU administration expressed sincere regret over the unfortunate incidents related to the affiliated colleges.
Vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan held an urgent meeting with the principals of the seven affiliated colleges Monday afternoon.聽
In a press conference after the meeting, Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan said, 鈥榃e have taken five decisions considering the common demand of the students of DU and its affiliated colleges.鈥�
The decisions include respectable separation of the seven colleges from the DU, managing the activities of the academic years starting from 2024鈥�25 year by the ministry-formed expert committee and fixing the issues including seat numbers and admission fees by the expert committee from the 2024鈥�25 year.
About the progress of the works of the expert committee led by UGC chairman Professor SMA Faiz, he said that there was no significant progress in the committee鈥檚 works till now.
抖阴精品 DU correspondent reported that the seven colleges鈥� students on Monday evening at a press briefing at Dhaka College premises welcomed the DU authorities鈥� decision.
They alleged that Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 assistant commissioner for New Market zone and officer-in-charge of New Market Police Station were involved in the attack on Dhaka College students and the attempted murder of Dhaka College student Rakib.
They demanded immediate withdrawal of the police officers, initiating departmental proceedings after a neutral investigation, and the resignation of DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Mamun Ahmed.
They issued a 24-hour ultimatum to meet their demands.
Dhaka College student Moinul Hossain at the press conference said that they would lay siege to the New Market Police Station and would not allow any vehicles from DU to pass through the areas adjacent to the seven colleges if their demands were not met by the time.
