Jagannath University (JnU) students withdrew their hunger strike on Monday evening after 35 hours upon receiving a written commitment from the Ministry of Education that their demands will be addressed.
At about 7pm, AKM Rakib, a student from the Department of Botany, announced the withdrawal of the hunger strike at a press conference.
Earlier, at 4pm, the students began a march from JnU to the Secretariat. They reached the Secretariat at around 4:45pm.
During the march, sick students, still fasting, participated in the procession in rickshaws with saline stands.
At the press conference, Rakib said: “We have received a written commitment that a contract for transferring the second campus project to the army will be signed at a meeting on Wednesday.
“Additionally, they have promised the construction of temporary steel-based buildings for Bani Bhaban and Dr Habibur Rahman Hall. Discussions regarding the accommodation allowances for 70% of students will also take place.”
Rakib continued: “Since two of our three demands have been accepted and the third will be discussed, we are withdrawing the hunger strike.”
However, academic and administrative activities will remain shut down until the meeting on Wednesday, he added.
The hunger strike had started on Sunday at 8:30am. Around 15 students were hospitalized due to illness from the strike.
Despite repeated requests from the vice chancellor, the students did not break their fast.
On Monday morning, the entire campus was shut down again, and students resumed their hunger strike for a second day.
The main gate, Shaheed Sajid Academic Building (formerly the BBA building), and Rafiq Building were locked by the students in solidarity with the shutdown program.
All academic and administrative activities in the university departments were suspended, and no classes or exams were held.
At 2pm on Monday, the Ministry of Education issued a letter regarding the transfer of the second campus project to the army.
The letter said that a meeting would be held on Wednesday at the Secretariat about the transfer.
The students demanded a written commitment to accept their demands, and they gave an ultimatum to the ministry to meet with them before breaking the hunger strike.
Dr Sabina Sharmin, the university's treasurer, said: "Our students were fasting, risking their lives, for the university and accommodation. We hope the work on the second campus project will be expedited."
Meanwhile, VC Dr Rezaul Karim said: “The students’ movement has made our process easier and faster. We have made significant progress, and the meeting will also review the status of the project. We will discuss other issues related to our demands in the meeting.”
