Students and teachers of Jagannath University (JnU) began a march towards the residence of the chief adviser, the State Guest House Jamuna, on Wednesday, demanding a housing allowance, approval of the proposed budget, and government nod for a second campus.
The procession started around 11:30am at the university’s Shaheed Minar, with more than 1,000 people, including teachers and students, participating while chanting slogans.
Shamsul Arefin, member secretary of JnU Chhatra Dal, said: “We are heading towards Jamuna with three demands. We will achieve them peacefully. Our aim is to claim our rights.
"You all know that JnU long suffered under fascism. At the time, they promised to prioritise our education budget, but never followed through."
Yasin, a student of the 2022–23 academic session in the Sociology Department, said: “We, the students of JnU, have staged many protests before. They always said our demands would be met, but never did so. This time, we will not back down. We will not leave Jamuna until our demands are met. We have united to achieve that goal.”
Zahid Hasan, a student of Mass Communication and Journalism, said: “Our university has always been a victim of discrimination. We receive a lower budget compared to all other universities. To increase our budget, we are preparing for the long march to Jamuna. We are firm in our resolve.”
Earlier on Monday, a student-teacher rally was held on campus to press home these demands.
On Tuesday, representatives of different student organisations and members of the teachers’ association met with officials of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The meeting discussed increasing the JnU budget and resolving the housing crisis.
However, students alleged that despite presenting their demands properly, the UGC once again gave them vague assurances and sent them away.
In response, students announced the long march program.
Although the march was originally scheduled for Thursday, it was brought forward to Wednesday. All classes and examinations at the university were suspended for the program.
The three demands:
From the 2025–26 fiscal year, 70% of JnU students must receive a housing stipend until a permanent housing solution is ensured.
The proposed full budget for JnU for the 2025–26 fiscal year must be approved without any cuts.
The construction of JnU’s second campus must be approved at the next Ecnec meeting and implemented as a priority project.
