As their daylong protest reached its peak, Jagannath University students sang the national anthem in unison on Thursday afternoon.
The national flag was also displayed during the performance.
Students gathered at the intersection in front of the Chief Adviser’s Office, Jamuna, around 4:15pm, where teachers and staff joined them in singing the anthem. Following the performance, they took an oath not to return to class until their demands were met.
Earlier in the day, members of various cultural organizations at the university performed revolutionary songs and recited poems, energizing the gathering.
Students had begun occupying the area near the Chief Adviser’s Residence on Wednesday night. By 10am on Thursday, thousands of students had joined the protest, chanting slogans.
Although tensions flared several times between students and law enforcement, no major untoward incidents occurred. Notably, no senior officials from the administration engaged with the protesters during this time. Speaking through microphones, students declared they would continue their movement until their demands were fulfilled.
Jagannath University students have also been occupying the road in front of the Kakrail mosque. Despite exhaustion from their continuous sit-in, none of the students has withdrawn. Some even slept on the streets overnight and resumed their demonstration in the morning.
With the protest showing no signs of abating, support has started to pour in from several student organisations across the country.
The four-point demand of the protesters:
- From the 2025–26 fiscal year, 70% of JnU students must receive a housing stipend until a permanent housing solution is ensured.
- The proposed full budget for JnU for the 2025–26 fiscal year must be approved without any cuts.
- The construction of JnU’s second campus must be approved at the next Ecnec meeting and implemented as a priority project.
- Conduct a proper investigation into the unprovoked police attack on students on May 14 and ensure exemplary punishment for those responsible.
