The hunger strike began at 11:15am on Monday and will continue until 5pm the same day.
On Sunday, the students held a press conference at the Dhaka University Journalist Association office, where they announced this protest program.
Later, the university’s public relations office informed that they have taken the initiative to build a hall called “Bangladesh-China Friendship Hall.”
When asked about this, one of the students involved in the protest, Israt Jahan Imu, said: “While you know about one hall, we are aware of two halls being planned. However, it will take four to five years to complete the construction process. So, where will the students who don’t have seats stay in the meantime?”
Building infrastructure follows a specific process.
The university administration cannot immediately construct halls.
Regarding the protestors' position on this, she added: “That’s correct. But where will the students who don't have seats stay? The university administration has stated that they will provide scholarships for students who don’t get seats. But for the sake of safety, we have requested that the university rent a building and arrange temporary housing for us. The university administration has said this is not possible due to university policies.”
She further said: “We have even suggested whether it’s possible to use staff quarters for temporary housing. However, the university administration says there is a budget issue. Our demand is to arrange temporary housing with the scholarship funds, and construction work on the halls should start immediately.”
All Dhaka University students must be attached to either residential or non-residential halls.
Currently, the university has 14 halls for male students and five for female students.
There are also separate hostels for students from the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Institute of Business Administration, and the Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology, as well as an international student hostel for foreign students.
Due to a shortage of seats, less than half of the total students have residential facilities in these halls.
