Leaders of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), along with a group of students, staged a sit-in on Thursday to protest a recommendation to cancel Saturday’s bus services.
The demonstration escalated later that night when the students entered the Syndicate meeting to press their demands.
The protest was triggered by allegations that the DU treasurer had recommended cancelling the Saturday bus trips, despite the University Grants Commission (UGC) allocating Tk4.5 crore specifically for the transport sector.
Ducsu leaders staged a sit-in in front of the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban and vowed to continue their protest until their demands were addressed.
Acting Registrar Shams Uddin Ahmed on behalf of the DU VC urged the students to end their protest and suggested sending a representative into the meeting. The students rejected the proposal, insisting that the VC meet them directly. The situation escalated when the students entered the syndicate room, prompting a heated discussion over the bus trip issue.
Vice-Chancellor Obaidul Islam said the transport matter had been urgently added to the meeting agenda that afternoon and questioned the need for a “mob” to disrupt proceedings before a decision was made.
Ducsu leaders strongly objected to the term, citing the administration’s failure to release the investigation report on the recent attack on student leaders and journalists at Shahbagh.
Sarba Mitra Chakma, a Ducsu executive member, told the vice-chancellor that the students’ representatives were accountable to the university body that elected them and had been seeking action on their demands for a long time without success.
Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Abdus Salam criticised the students’ approach, emphasising that proper procedures exist for university affairs. He noted that the VC had included the matter on the official agenda, which would be discussed before a formal decision.
Faculty members present reminded the students that the syndicate is a confidential meeting and that journalists should not have been present inside the room.
Professor Mohammad Al-Mujaddidi Al-Fesani, pro-vice chancellor (Administration), assured the students that the vice-chancellor would present their demands to the syndicate and expressed confidence that the body would act in the best interests of both the students and the university.
VC Obaidul Islam explained that he could not make a unilateral decision on the matter due to its financial implications. “I brought the agenda today with a clear purpose, but I cannot decide alone because finance is involved.
The syndicate must make the decision,” he said, expressing disappointment at the disruption and warning that the meeting could be postponed if order was not restored.
Following the confrontation, the Ducsu leaders and students left the room. Ducsu Transport Secretary Asif Abdullah later told reporters that the movement would continue until their logical demands were fulfilled, while condemning the vice-chancellor’s “mob” remark.
