RU teachers, staff announce daylong work abstention Sunday
Earlier in the day, tension flared on the university campus as a scuffle broke out between students and senior university officials, including the pro-vice chancellor and the proctor, over the ward quota issue.
Teachers, officers, and employees of Rajshahi University (RU) have announced a full-day work abstention on Sunday (21 September).
The decision was announced at a press conference held around 9:30pm last night (20 September) in front of the university's Senate Building by Prof Abdul Alim, president of the Nationalist Teachers' Forum and a faculty member of the Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Extension.
He said, "The Zuberi Bhaban is a residential and club facility. Our pro-vice chancellor and several colleagues came under attack there. To protest this assault and demand punishment for those involved, we will observe a one-day work abstention tomorrow."
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Professor Alim further said, "We are announcing the work abstention to demand exemplary punishment for the students involved in the harassment of teachers at the Zuberi Bhaban and to ensure overall security on campus."
If our demands are not met, the work abstention will continue from 22 September, he added.
University authorities halt admission
Rajshahi University authorities have temporarily suspended admissions under the quota reserved for the children of teachers, officials, and staff.
The decision was announced through an official notice posted on the university's Facebook page around 1am today (21 September). Later, at about 2:30am, vice-chancellor Professor Dr Saleh Hasan Naqib personally appeared before the protesting students and reiterated the suspension decision. He added that an emergency syndicate meeting would be held today to decide whether the quota would be scrapped altogether.
However, the students rejected the announcement. At one stage, they attempted to break open the gates of the vice-chancellor's residence. Failing to do so, they returned to their dormitories after 3am.
Yesterday, tension flared on the university campus as a scuffle broke out between students and senior university officials, including the pro-vice chancellor and the proctor, over the ward quota issue.
Pro-VC Prof Main Uddin, Proctor Prof Mahbubor Rahman, Registrar Prof Iftikharul Alam Masud, and several other teachers were confined by protesting students inside the Zuberi Bhaban for nearly six hours in the afternoon.
They were released around 11:15pm after students ended the confinement and moved to stage a sit-in demonstration in front of the vice-chancellor's residence.
