The pre-announced ‘complete shutdown’ at the government and non-government engineering universities across Bangladesh passed the second day on Friday, a weekly holiday, with students holding special prayers for injured protesters and demonstrations to press their demands.
Engineering students, under the banner of Engineer’s Rights Movement, in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Pabna and elsewhere in the country held special prayers in mosques and universities after the Jumma prayers for injured student protesters, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology student Syed Sadid Nasif, who got injured in the August 27 police action.
At least 18 people were injured in a clash while police charged batons, hurled sound grenades and lobbed tear gas shells on the protesting engineering students in the afternoon on August 27 when they were marching towards the state guest house Jamuna to press their three-point demands, including reforms in the recruitment and promotion system of engineers in the public service.
Two representatives of the interim government chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Friday visited the Dhaka Medical College Hospital to inquire about the treatment of BUET student Nasif, said a press release issued by the CA press wing.
Sheikh Moinuddin and Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistants to the chief adviser, assured Nasif’s family members of all kinds of medical assistance to Nasif, including any advanced treatment, if necessary.
At that time, the doctor on duty said that Nasif’s operation was successfully completed and he was stable at that time, said the press release.
‘We have organised the special prayers to seek quick recovery and to pay our tribute to injured students, especially Nasif,’ a BUET student Khalid Hossain told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on Friday.
Students of the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology and the Pabna University of Science and Technology, among others, also held the special prayers.
Following the August 27 police action, engineering students announced the ‘complete shutdown’ at the engineering universities from August 28 by boycotting all academic activities, including classes and examinations, demanding reforms in the recruitment and promotion system of engineers in the public service and protesting at the police attack on them.
Their three-point demand include all the candidates must pass a recruitment examination and hold at least a BSc (honours) degree to enter into the ninth grade public jobs in engineering, promotions through quotas are not allowed, no promotion can be granted even by creating equivalent positions under different titles, and restriction on the use of the title ‘engineer’.
Engineer’s Rights Movement president Md Wali Ullah told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on Friday that engineering students at different universities also brought out torch processions on their respective campuses, pressing the three-point demand and protesting against the August 27 police attack and a former Dhaka Polytechnic Institute student’s alleged online threat to rape a BUET female student.
CUET authorities on August 28 night issued a notice suspending all department and batch-based examinations due to the ongoing movement of engineering students, reported ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· staff correspondent in Chattogram.
Considering the current unrest and uncertain situation on campus, all examinations scheduled for August 31-September 4 will remain suspended, said the notice.
The CUET Teachers Association in a statement on that night expressed solidarity with the three key demands raised by the Engineer’s Rights Movement.
Earlier on August 26, the engineering students’ protest gained momentum when they, mostly from BUET, blocked the Shahbagh crossing in the capital Dhaka on the day, pressing the three-point demand.
Amid the protests, the government on August 28 formed a 14-member working group to review the demands of the students for reforms in the recruitment and promotion system of engineers in the public service.Â
Earlier on August 27, the government formed another committee to review the rationality of the demands but the students rejected the committee.Â
