Jahangirnagar University (JU) students have begun a two-day strike while their 10-day ultimatum demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor (VC) Farzana Islam continued on Tuesday.
Students continued to stage their sit-in programme, “Jahangirnagar against Corruption,” in front of the university’s administrative building where a number of teachers also joined them.
At seven o'clock in the morning, the protesting students shut down all the gates of the university's new and old administrative buildings, putting a stop to administrative functions at the university.
Classes and regular examinations were also suspended due to the strike.
However, protesters did allow examinees to sit for their final exams at different departments and institutes yesterday.
The protesting students also blocked the front of the transport depot in Bishmail near the university on Tuesday night. No bus could leave the campus for Dhaka or use any other routes.
Earlier on Monday, the protesting teachers and students called for an all-out strike across the university on Wednesday and Thursday.
The protestors accused the VC of engaging in corrupt practices in a development project, and an overall erosion of values, demanding she step down from her position.
Countering these allegations, a group of teachers and other supporters of the current VC said, at a press briefing on Tuesday, that the protesting teachers were staging protests to fulfil their own agenda of exercising authority by toppling the present VC of the university.
Vice-Chancellor Farzana Islam refused to resign, citing the student allegations as "unreasonable."
About the corruption allegations, the vice-chancellor said she had talked with the University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Education.
"If they deem an inquiry to be necessary, they will launch one. I will provide them support as best as I can," she said.
Students and teachers of JU, known for its trees and greenery, have been protesting a government-approved Tk1,445 crore project for the construction of 23 new buildings, for which 1,150 trees are to be cut.
Many students and teachers were further outraged when it came to light on August 25, that JU VC Prof Farzana Islam was reportedly engaged in corruption and had distributed around Tk2 crore of project funds among three factions of Chhatra League’s JU unit.