Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) continued their demonstration for the second day on Saturday protesting a gathering of Chhatra League activists in the middle of the night on the campus where political activities are banned.
The administration has responded by revoking the hall seat of the concerned student, Imtiaz Hossain Rahim, in response to the students' demands.
Despite this action, the protesting students persist in their demand for Imtiaz's permanent expulsion from the university by 2pm on Saturday.
Following the planned agenda, protesters positioned themselves at various entrances of Buet at 8am on Saturday. By 11am, they gathered at the Shaheed Minar of the university to address the media, reiterating their six-point demands, with the primary demand being the permanent expulsion of the implicated student.
In a written statement regarding their updated demands, they mentioned: "As common students of Buet, we feel vulnerable to the intrusion of outsiders into the campus on the night of March 28. In response, we presented the following demands to the Buet administration yesterday (Friday) to safeguard the Buet campus. We are reiterating our modified demands to keep everyone informed of the latest developments."
The students' demands include:
- Permanent expulsion of Imtiaz Rabbi from Buet and cancellation of his hall seat by 9am, as he organized the midnight political rally on campus, violating the policy prohibiting political activities in Buet. While the administration has confirmed Imtiaz's expulsion from the hall, his permanent academic expulsion is pending confirmation. The students demand written confirmation of Rabbi's permanent academic expulsion by 2pm.
- Identification and permanent expulsion from Buet of students involved with Imtiaz in the incident, including ASM Anas Ferdous, Mohammad Hasin Arman Nihal, Aniruddha Majumder, Zahirul Islam Imon, and Sayem Mahmud Sajeedin Rifat, along with others identified from pictures and video footage.
- Accountability from the administration regarding the unauthorized entry of outsiders onto campus and assurance of legal action against those involved. The students demand written notice and implementation of this demand from the Buet administration.
- Enforcement of strict regulations for student safety, including restrictions on staying on campus after 10:30pm, with permission required from the director of Directorate of Students' Welfare (DSW) for any exceptions.
- Boycott of term finals on March 30 and all academic activities on March 31 to protest against safety concerns due to outsiders entering the campus.
- Assurance of no retaliatory action against protesting students.
In their address, the students emphasized their commitment to upholding Buet's constitutional prohibition against student politics and condemned any attempts to misrepresent their movement's intentions. They reiterated their stance against all forms of student politics, in accordance with Buet's constitution.
