Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) staged a protest in Mymensingh on Monday, blocking the railway line at Zobayer Mor near the campus to press six demands.
The blockade began at 3:45pm and is set to continue until university authorities engage in discussions with the students. As a result, train services on the Dhaka–Mymensingh route have been suspended.
Earlier in the day, students rejected the university’s announcement to close BAU and vacate the halls, staging marches and assemblies across the campus. Their six-point demands are:
- Withdrawal of the directive to vacate halls by 2pm.
- Continuation of all existing facilities in the halls without interruption.
- Resignation of the Proctorial Body within 24 hours for failing to ensure student safety and for allowing external actors, with the help of teachers, to attack students.
- A public apology from the Vice-Chancellor for incidents including cocktail explosions, library damage, attacks with indigenous weapons, and harassment of female students by external actors.
- Exemplary punishment for teachers involved in the attacks and the external perpetrators.
- Immediate provision of the single combined degree for which students have been protesting for a month; three separate degrees are unacceptable.
On Monday morning, students from various halls marched with sticks and poles, gathering around KR Market in the university area. When their demands were not met by 2pm, they escalated the protest by blocking the railway.
The protest stems from the Academic Council’s decision to continue offering three separate degrees — BSc in Animal Husbandry, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and a combined degree — which students say does not meet their expectations. They are demanding a combined BSc degree in Veterinary and Animal Husbandry.