Rajshahi University authorities have suspended admissions under the “ward quota” following a day-long student protest demanding its abolition.
The decision was announced in a press release around 1:00am on Sunday. Shortly after, at 1:40am, Vice-Chancellor Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar conveyed the same decision directly to hundreds of protesting students on campus.
According to the university’s Public Relations Office, admissions under institutional privileges have been suspended due to the ongoing unrest. An emergency syndicate meeting has been convened on Sunday to review the situation.
Students began protesting earlier this week after the university decided to reinstate the ward quota. On Thursday night, seven to eight students launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding its cancellation, two of whom later fell ill.
Tensions escalated on Saturday when students confined several senior officials, including Pro-VC Prof. Moin Uddin, Registrar Prof. Iftikharul Alam Masud, Proctor Prof Mahbubur Rahman, and Public Relations Administrator Prof Akhtar Hossain Majumder.
The clash left several people injured, including Pro-VC Prof Moin Uddin, an assistant registrar, RU Student Rights Council General Secretary Al Shahriar Shuvo, and former coordinator Salahuddin Ammar.
At one point, students continued protesting by chanting slogans, with some climbing to the second floor and vandalizing windows in several rooms.
Around 10:00pm, Prof Abdul Alim, president of the Nationalist Teachers’ Forum, announced a full-day work abstention for teachers, officers, and staff on Sunday.
In protest of the announcement, hundreds of students from 17 residential halls marched along the university’s Paris Road. Hours later, at around 1:00am, the administration announced the suspension of ward quota admissions, temporarily easing tensions on campus.
