Teachers, officials, and employees of Rajshahi University (RU) are staging a daylong work stoppage on Sunday, demanding strict action against those accused of assaulting the pro-vice-chancellor and several faculty members.
From Sunday morning, they staged a sit-in at the university’s Intellectual Martyrs’ Square, demanding stern punishment for those involved.
The programme was announced Saturday night by Professor Abdul Alim, president of the Nationalist Teachers’ Forum and a faculty member of the Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Extension. In a written statement, he said, “Zuberi Bhaban is a residential and club facility. We will observe a full-day work stoppage on Sunday in protest of the attack on our colleagues, including a pro-vice-chancellor, and to press for punishment of those responsible.”
Amid rising tensions, additional police were deployed across key points of the campus from Sunday night.
On Saturday, agitating students locked the residences of two pro-vice-chancellors, demanding the abolition of the ward quota. When denied entry, they marched toward Zuberi Bhaban, chasing Pro-VC Professor Main Uddin Khan and Proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman while chanting slogans against the administration.
At one point, a teacher and a printing press official attempted to block the advancing students on the building’s verandah, triggering a scuffle. Witnesses alleged that the students later confined Pro-VC Professor Main Uddin Khan as he tried to take refuge on the second floor.
Earlier, on Wednesday, a section of teachers, officers, and employees had demanded reinstatement of the ward quota in admission and recruitment at RU, warning of a work stoppage from Sunday if the demand was not met.
Responding to the demand, the admission committee on Thursday approved conditional reinstatement of the quota for the 2024–25 academic year, allowing children of teachers, officers, and employees to apply under the system.
The move sparked outrage among students, who launched protests accusing the administration of discrimination. On Friday afternoon, nine students began a hunger strike in front of the administrative building demanding cancellation of the quota.
Amid mounting protests, the RU administration suspended the quota admission process through a press release at 1 am on Sunday. At 1:40 am, the vice-chancellor made the same announcement in front of hundreds of agitating students.
