JnU students’ Kakrail blockade: What we know so far
Their three demands are implementation of the housing allowance, full budget approval, implementation of the second campus project
Highlights:
- JnU students to go on hunger strike after Jumma prayers today
- Protest ongoing despite DMP ban on rallies, demos in Kakrail and surrounding areas
- Students started long march towards CA residence on Wednesday
- Police fired tear gas, lobbed sound grenades, used water cannons to disperse protesters
- Protesters now also demanding justice for police action
- Demands include implementing housing allowance, full budget approval, implementing second campus project
Jagannath University (JnU) students and teachers are demonstrating by blocking the capital's Kakrail Mosque intersection for the third consecutive day today (16 May), pushing for a three-point demand.
Many events, including a clash with police, shutting down the university, and throwing a water bottle at Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam, intensified the protest.
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Here's a breakdown of the key events:
Reason for the protest:
The core of the students' agitation lies in their three primary demands:
Housing allowance: Students are demanding the implementation of housing allowance for 70% of JnU students starting from 2025-26 academic year.
Full budget approval: They are calling for the government's full approval of the university's proposed budget.
Implementation of the second campus project: A long-awaited demand, students are urging for swift action and concrete steps towards the establishment of JnU's second campus. They demanded initiating the second campus project as a priority in the next Ecnec meeting.
Day 1 - Wednesday:
JnU students say they had previously submitted their three demands to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday (13 May), but were not satisfied with the response.
As a result, the students declared a long march to Jamuna, the official residence of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, on Wednesday (14 May).
On the morning of Wednesday, police stopped the long march of JnU teachers and students towards Januna at the Kakrail Mosque intersection.
As the situation worsened following heated altercations, police fired tear gas, lobbed sound grenades, and used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
A clash broke out at around 12:30pm. Protesters attempted to break through the police barricade but failed. JnU students later claimed that at least 25 people were injured in the incident.
However, after the clash ended and the situation calmed down, the protesters did not fully clear the area. They remained at the intersection and continued protesting peacefully.
However, when Adviser Mahfuj Alam went to address the protesters on Wednesday night, a water bottle was thrown at him by one of the angry protesters.
Mahfuj later said the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) had been instructed not to take any forceful measures to remove the protesters.
Some students slept on the street at the intersection during the night.
Day 2 - Thursday:
The JnU students continued their sit-in protest in Kakrail in the morning (15 May).
More and more students and teachers arrived at the protest site in university buses and microbuses as hours went by.
Around the afternoon, the JnU Teachers' Association announced a shutdown of the institution's educational activities until the government meets the three-point demand.
They also demanded justice for the police action on their long march on Wednesday.
Later in the evening, DMP imposed a ban on all types of public gatherings, rallies, processions, and demonstrations in and around Jamuna and key surrounding areas, effective until further notice.
Day 3 - Friday:
JnU students continued their protest in the morning (16 May). They are also scheduled to begin a hunger strike after the Jummah prayers.
More protesters arriving in university buses are joining the ones at the Kakrail Mosque intersection, where they were supposed to hold a rally.
In a text message, Education Adviser CR Abrar told The Business Standard, "After an initial meeting at the ministry this morning, UGC and JnU officials are now holding a meeting at the UGC premises for further talks with a few more teacher representatives of JnU."
