Several private universities shift to online classes, suspend bus services
However, NSU later withdrew the announcement of online class for 13 November.
Several private universities, including North South University (NSU), East West University (EWU), and World University of Bangladesh (WUB), have announced a temporary shift to online classes on 12 and 13 November.
While no official explanation was given for the decision, it comes as incidents of arson and violence continue to spread ahead of the banned Awami League's announced "Dhaka lockdown" programme on 13 November, coinciding with the International Crimes Tribunal's scheduled verdict against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others in a case involving crimes against humanity.
In a notice issued yesterday (11 November), EWU authorities stated that all classes would be conducted online on 12 and 13 November "due to unavoidable reasons".
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The university also mentioned that there would be no examinations during this period, with faculty members instructed to reschedule in-person exams. EWU's office will remain open on 12 November, while staff will work from home on 13 November.
Similarly, WUB announced that all on-campus classes would move online from 12 November "until further notice", and the university's bus services have remained suspended since yesterday.
NSU also informed students that all classes scheduled for 13 November would be held online "due to unavoidable circumstances".
However, NSU, later in a notice, withdrew the announcement of online class for 13 November, "at the directive" of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) has also suspended bus services since yesterday.
It can be speculated that this move follows a wave of violent incidents across Dhaka and nearby areas. Unidentified individuals set fire to buses, including one belonging to Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, in Dhaka, Gazipur, and other districts in the past three days, in what officials described as attempts to create panic among the public.
In Gazipur's Basan, Kashimpur, and Sreepur areas, as well as Ashulia, at least four parked buses were torched by unidentified attackers late last night and early today. A man was killed and two others critically injured in a separate arson attack on a bus in Mymensingh on 11 November.
Crude and petrol bombs were also reported to have exploded in several locations in and outside Dhaka.
Amid the escalating violence, the government today deployed 14 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Dhaka and adjoining districts to maintain law and order.
The private universities' decisions appear to be precautionary measures aimed at ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and staff as tensions heighten nationwide.
