At the Islamic University (IU), students of Khaleda Zia Hall were allegedly denied lunch by the hall provost for not attending the Pohela Boishakh (Bangla new year) celebratory rally.
According to students, the incident took place on Wednesday, when Professor Dr Jalal Uddin, the hall’s provost, cancelled lunch arrangements in protest.
Sources said that a special “panta bhat” meal was scheduled for lunch as part of the new year celebrations. A festive rally was organized from the hall at 11am, but only seven students showed up.
Upset by the low turnout, the provost allegedly cancelled the planned meal and called for a mandatory meeting with all students at 9pm. Regular lunch service in the dining hall was also halted, causing considerable hardship for the hall’s residential students.
Following the incident, students expressed their frustration and staged a sit-in in front of the provost’s office, demanding his resignation.
Some students said the food was being prepared when the provost intervened and ordered everything to stop.
They claimed there had been no prior notice stating that participation in the rally was mandatory, and that many had left for classes or exams. They only discovered later that the lunch arrangement had been cancelled.
A student Mahmuda Khatun said: “The provost promised there would be lunch on new year’s celebration day, and we submitted our names and received food tokens accordingly.”
She added: “Most of us couldn’t attend the rally due to academic obligations. But the provost got angry and decided not to let us eat. He closed the dining hall and announced a central meeting at 9pm.”
"I went to one of my seniors of the hall to collect the meal token, and she told me--sir has forbidden it—no food will be given today," she further added.
A staff member from the hall’s dining section confirmed the provost’s directive.
He said: “He called us to his office around 11am and ordered us to stop cooking. We had already cooked the rice since 2am the previous night. Only the fish frying was left.”
When asked, Provost Dr Jalal Uddin said: “We always try to arrange vibrant celebrations for national events. There are around 400 female students in my hall, but only 8 to 10 came to the rally.”
He added: “We had a band party, and with so few participants, it wasn’t feasible. Disheartened, I decided to cancel the lunch plan.”
Asked about the students’ complaints and demands for his resignation, he said: “The administration will decide on this matter.”
