Amid escalating protests against the reinstatement of "ward quota" at Rajshahi University (RU), Vice-Chancellor Prof. Saleh Hasan Naqib attempted to address students late Saturday night but was met with chants of “Fake, fake!” and forced to retreat.
Thousands of students, including many female students, continued their sit-in demanding the permanent cancellation of quota policy, rejecting the administration’s temporary suspension.
Earlier in the night, the university administration had announced temporary suspension of controversial ward quota system through a post on its official Facebook page.
The post also mentioned that an emergency Syndicate meeting would be held on Sunday to review the situation.
But the protesting students were not satisfied.
They demanded that the VC use his executive powers to permanently abolish the quota system, which reserves benefits for children of university staff.
“We will not leave until the quota is officially abolished,” the students declared, continuing their demonstration in front of VC’s residence.
The protest gained momentum throughout the day, with thousands of students, including a large number of female students, joining the sit-in.
Around 3:30 AM, they temporarily withdrew from the gate and nearby Paris Road but vowed to return if their demands were not met.
The unrest began earlier on Saturday when students blocked the car of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Mohammad Main Uddin as he left administrative building.
He was forced to walk back, only to find his residence locked by demonstrators.
He and several other faculty members then took shelter in the university’s Zuberi building.
From around 4:30 PM, students kept the Pro-VC and several others confined in the Zuberi building for nearly seven hours.
They were eventually freed when the crowd shifted their protest to the Vice-Chancellor’s residence late at night.
Responding to the day’s events, Prof. Abdul Alim, president of the university’s BNP-backed Nationalist Teachers’ Forum, announced a work stoppage for Sunday.
He demanded exemplary punishment for those who "harassed" university officials during the protests.
He also stated that all staff would participate in the strike.
Despite the Vice-Chancellor’s attempt to calm tensions by stating that institutional privileges for employees’ children had been suspended and that the Syndicate would address the issue, students continued to chant against what they viewed as a half-hearted measure.
Student spokesperson Sajibur Rahman, from Department of Islamic History and Culture (2020-21 batch), addressed the gathering through a microphone; “We demand the quota be abolished tonight through an emergency Syndicate meeting. Otherwise, our movement will continue.”
RHF/SH
