A group of students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a demonstration demanding a ban on student politics in all residential halls of the university.
At around 9:30pm on Saturday, the students began their protest in front of the residence of Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Kamrul Ahsan.
Earlier, at around 8pm, a group of protesters marched to different halls, using loudspeakers to call on students to join the program.
They then marched to the vice-chancellor’s residence, where Professor Kamrul Ahsan came out to speak with them.
During the procession, they were heard chanting slogans.
They dispersed at around 10:30pm following the vice-chancellor’s assurance of holding discussions on the matter.
The students presented six demands during the discussion.
The students’ demands include: banning all forms of political activities in every hall of Jahangirnagar University, formulating a specific framework for administrative punishment against students engaged in political activities in the halls in the future, as well as those involved in "ragging" culture in common rooms and guest rooms, promptly forming hall unions to ensure students’ basic rights, ensuring that any gifts from political organisations are distributed solely through the hall administration without the use of the organisation’s name or symbol, stopping undue interference in hall affairs by outsiders and taking immediate action against students overstaying in halls beyond their allotted term.
The protesters said that on Friday, committees of the Bangladesh Chhatra Dal (JCD) were announced in 17 halls of the university, which triggered a wave of protests on social media.
In response, they took to the streets on Saturday to demand a ban on hall-based politics.
Shakil Ahmed, a student of the 48th batch in the Department of History, said: "We have witnessed in previous years how a reign of terror was established through hall politics. We do not want that old culture to return. We demand that all forms of student politics be banned in our halls and that all hall committees announced by political parties be revoked immediately.”
Later, Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Kamrul Ahsan said he would hold an administrative meeting on Sunday to discuss the students’ demands.
“I have asked the students to submit their demands in writing,” he said, adding that he hopes to give a policy decision on the matter after discussions with the Academic Council, hall provosts and other relevant authorities.
Following the assurance, the students returned to their halls.