The students of Chittagong University (CU) withdrew their 52-hour hunger strike on Friday following an assurance from the authorities concerned to meet their seven demands.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Yahya Akhtar offered them juice to break the strike in the afternoon.
Nine students of the public university went on the strike on Wednesday to press home their seven demands, including punishment for perpetrators involved in attacks on them during their clashes with local residents, according to the university sources.
As the authorities concerned assured the hunger strikers of ensuring justice for the attacks , they called off their strike nearly 52 hours after their start of their protest programme.
The students are protesting under the banner of “Adhikar Sochoten Shikkharthibrindo”.
The hunger strikers include Dhruv Barua, an organiser of the Democratic Students’ Council, and Sudarshan Chakma, general secretary of the Hill Students’ Council.
Other striking students from various departments and student organisations are also participating in this demonstration.
The seven demands include publication of the list of students injured in the clashes and the provision of proper medical care.
They also demanded safe and quality mobile housing for non-residential students, along with effective measures to recover the belongings of displaced students.
Besides, they have called for ensuring the safety of identified students and for bringing the actual perpetrators to justice while halting the harassment of innocent locals.
The students also recommended the formation of an inclusive coordination committee to resolve the conflict, with meetings held every three months.
Additionally, they are demanding the publication and implementation of a road map for a safe campus as decided by the syndicate.
The students also called for a public apology from the Proctorial Body for the incident and have demanded the resignation of the Proctorial Body.
In response, Chittagong University Acting Registrar Professor Dr Mohammed Saiful Islam said, “We’re trying to maintain an academic environment for students, but they’re attempting to create chaos.”
