A group of students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) has blocked the administrative building, demanding the reinstatement of battery-operated rickshaws on campus.
The students began the blockade by locking the main gate of the administrative building as part of their pre-announced program at around 1:30pm on Wednesday. The students’ one-point demand is: “Battery-run rickshaws must be allowed to operate on campus again.”
However, the blockade has caused suffering for admission seekers of the 54th batch and their guardians who came to participate in the university's ongoing admission process.
Protesting student Arian Kabir said: “The administration is taking no initiative regarding our logical demand. If the vice-chancellor were genuinely concerned about the admission seekers, he would have already come to speak with us. His presence and goodwill would have been enough to resolve this crisis. But he is not coming. The uncertainty in today’s admission process is entirely the administration’s responsibility.”
Earlier, on November 19 last year, battery-run rickshaws were banned on campus after first-year student Afsana Richi was killed in an accident involving such a rickshaw in front of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
