Agitated students from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) vandalised temporary installations erected for the Asia International Trade Fair on Monday, claiming that the university’s designated research field be reclaimed for academic use.
The demonstration follows the Cabinet’s decision on 18 October to approve in principle the relocation of the Bangladesh Secretariat from Abdul Gani Road to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, with official operations targeted to commence at the new site by 2029.
Eyewitnesses reported that over 150 students entered the fairgrounds around 1:15 pm and tore down several temporary structures.
Demonstrators brought two agricultural tractors to assist with the demolition and deployed a pickup truck equipped with loudspeakers to coordinate their actions.
Initial attempts to collapse the main entrance gate using a tractor at 12:45pm failed, prompting students to manual force, using large bamboo poles to pull the structure down by 1:15pm.
Demonstrators chanted slogans including, “Our campus, let it remain ours,” and “We want the bureaucrats and secretaries out.”
Tractors were subsequently driven across the field to break down remaining installations and plough the ground.
Police personnel stationed at the nearby three-way intersection near the Planning Ministry and the China Friendship Conference Centre observed the action but refrained from intervening.
Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, said that law enforcement chose not to obstruct the students, expressing confidence that they would disperse peacefully.
Protesters maintained that the action was necessary to restore the land for educational and scientific purposes.
Rupa Akter, a second-year agriculture student, noted that representations had been submitted to successive administrations, including Awami League, interim, and BNP governments, without tangible resolution.
“Our sole demand is the return of our research field,” she said. “Rather than establishing offices here, the government should return this land and allow us to continue our research.”
Students also highlighted environmental concerns, citing the loss of green space and the potential restriction of public access.
Arafat, a fifth-year student, argued that the site’s carbon absorption capacity should be evaluated prior to development.
He added that the surrounding grounds, frequently used by local residents for recreation near the mausoleums of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, would likely face stringent security restrictions if transformed into a government administrative hub.
University faculty members are reportedly assembling documentation regarding land ownership, while a teachers’ committee has engaged in preliminary discussions with government secretaries.
Students confirmed they spoke with the agriculture minister on Sunday, receiving verbal assurances of support, and said their intention to remediate the ploughed land by sowing grass, enhancing soil quality, and planting trees.
