Teachers and students of Jagannath University (JnU) staged a continuous protest for eight hours under scorching sun and rain at the Kakrail Mosque crossing on Wednesday, but no response was received from the government by the end of the day.
At around 3:15pm, JnU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Rezaul Karim entered the chief adviser’s residence, Jamuna, for discussions. However, as of Wednesday evening, no message had been conveyed from that meeting.
Students expressed frustration over the authorities' silence, pointing out what they saw as inequal treatment.
While they were subjected to baton charges, students from Dhaka University allegedly received milder responses, such as being sprayed with cold water. Protesters argued that their demands were justified and insisted that these be accepted.
Mosabbir, a student from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, said: “The attack on us was completely uncalled for. We did nothing wrong, yet the police sent many of us to the hospital. We won’t leave until our demands are met.”
Taimur Mobin, another student, warned: “From tomorrow (Thursday), we’ll block every major intersection in Old Dhaka. We’ll shut down all the institutions. There’s no way the authorities can ignore our demands any longer.”
Earlier in the afternoon, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Rezaul Karim and Treasurer Professor Dr Sabina Sharmin visited the chief adviser’s residence at around 3pm.
An hour and a half later, Professor Dr Rais Uddin, general secretary of the Teachers’ Association, also joined them for the discussion.
Earlier, at around 11:45am, more than a thousand students from Jagannath University (JnU) began their march towards the chief adviser's residence, Jamuna.
The procession initially faced resistance at the Gulistan Mazar Gate. However, the students managed to overcome the police barriers near Matsya Bhaban and continued their march towards Jamuna.
As the students reached the Kakrail Mosque crossing, police unexpectedly began firing tear gas, sound grenades, and hot water. This led to clashes, resulting in injuries to over a hundred people, including students, teachers, and journalists.
