Some DU teachers express solidarity with protesting SUST students
They gathered at the base of Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture in Dhaka University on Monday under the banner of the University Teachers Network and started a symbolic hunger strike
A portion of Dhaka University (DU) teachers on Monday (24 January) expressed solidarity with the protesting Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) students.
They gathered at the base of Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture in Dhaka University on Monday under the banner of the University Teachers Network and started a symbolic hunger strike.
Many students of DU also joined the protest expressing their solidarity.
Samina Lutfa, an associate professor at DU's Department of Sociology, said, they have expressed their solidarity with the protesting SUST students, adding that they also demand the resignation of SUST Vice-Chancellor Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed.
The hunger strike by some students of SUST demanding the Vice-Chancellor's resignation entered the sixth day on Monday with no sign of ending the stalemate in sight.
Since 19 January, 24 students have been on a hunger strike demanding the resignation of Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed.
Before that, students began protests to demand the resignation of the Provost of the Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall Zafrin Ahmed Liza after she allegedly "misbehaved" with a student.
Though she was eventually removed, students have continued their campaign to press for the resignation of the vice-chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed after police used batons and tear shells and fired shots to break up a protest.
Education Minister Dipu Moni took part in a virtual meeting with the protesting students on Saturday (22 January) night to reach a dialogue to resolve the situation; however, it drew no result.
The protesting students on Saturday night cut off the electricity connection of SUST VC's official residence.
The agitating students said the education minister assured them of accepting all their demands except for the VC's resignation – which is the core issue of their movement.