A delegation of teachers is in Dhaka to meet the education minister
Sust students on a hunger strike demanding VC Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed’s removal on Saturday, January 22, 2022 Dhaka Tribune
Md Serajul Islam, Sylhet
Publish : 22 Jan 2022, 11:32 AMUpdate : 22 Jan 2022, 08:47 PM
A total of 16 students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust) have been admitted to different hospitals till Saturday noon after they fell sick during a hunger strike carried out by them demanding the resignation of the university of Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed.
Even though the indefinite hunger strike rolled into the fourth day on Saturday, there has been little headway in ending the 10-day-long unrest on the campus. Two ambulances, however, were parked on the spot to rush the ailing students to hospitals.
Three students were brought from Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) to Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College and Hospital on Saturday afternoon after their situation deteriorated.
Students said that the ones on hunger strike were falling ill one after another and that the VC would have resigned by now had he thought of the wellbeing of his students.
One of the students, Ruby, was feeling so weak that a doctor suggested she ended the hunger strike immediately otherwise it will be difficult to save her life.
Ruby did end the strike even after the demise of her grandmother on Thursday, another student told journalists.
A student named Faizur was also in critical condition, said doctors.
Md Mostakim, a doctor at SOMCH, said 15 of his colleagues were giving treatment to the protesting students.
“Glucose level of some students had dropped while the blood pressure of some others fell substantially. We’ve given them saline. Those who’re falling seriously ill are being referred to hospitals,” he said.
“If they stretch the strike further then their conditions will deteriorate”, he added.
Dr Arman Ahmed Shiplu, deputy director of Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital, said that personal counseling was also being provided to the students.
Meanwhile, the protesting students brought out a symbolic coffin procession on the campus on Saturday afternoon. They started the march from the university's Golchattar area.
Education Minister Dipu Moni talked to the students on Friday. She said she wanted a solution to the crisis as soon as possible.
Earlier, in the small hours of Friday, the students brought out a torch rally and burnt the effigy of the VC on the campus.
Hours before that, a delegation of teachers met the students and requested them to break their fast, a request that went unheeded.
On Monday, the students wrote an open letter to President Abdul Hamid, the chancellor of the university, demanding the immediate removal of the VC.
The students also turned down the notice of shutting down the university for an indefinite period and the directive to leave their dormitories. Currently, the students are staying on the campus.
Sust was scheduled to be closed following a clash on the campus between police and the protesting students on January 16. The students were asked to leave the dormitories by 12pm the following day.
Meanwhile, a delegation of five teachers from Sust has reached Dhaka to meet Education Minister Dipu Moni, said Prof Tulsi Kumar Das, president of the Sust Teachers’ Association.
The delegation also includes Prof Dr Rashed Talukder, dean of the Faculty of Physical Science, Prof Muhibul Alam, general secretary of the Teachers Association, Prof Ariful Islam, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, and Khairul Islam Rubel, dean of the Faculty of Commerce.
Zafrin Ahmed, provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the unrest as she reportedly misbehaved with some students. She has already resigned from her post, citing health issues.
Dr Nazia Chowdhury, from the Physics department, has already replaced her.
The removal of Zafrin as the provost of the residential hall for female students was one of the principal demands of the students protesting on the campus.
16 students hospitalized as Sust unrest continues
A delegation of teachers is in Dhaka to meet the education minister
A total of 16 students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust) have been admitted to different hospitals till Saturday noon after they fell sick during a hunger strike carried out by them demanding the resignation of the university of Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed.
Even though the indefinite hunger strike rolled into the fourth day on Saturday, there has been little headway in ending the 10-day-long unrest on the campus. Two ambulances, however, were parked on the spot to rush the ailing students to hospitals.
Three students were brought from Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) to Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College and Hospital on Saturday afternoon after their situation deteriorated.
Students said that the ones on hunger strike were falling ill one after another and that the VC would have resigned by now had he thought of the wellbeing of his students.
One of the students, Ruby, was feeling so weak that a doctor suggested she ended the hunger strike immediately otherwise it will be difficult to save her life.
Ruby did end the strike even after the demise of her grandmother on Thursday, another student told journalists.
A student named Faizur was also in critical condition, said doctors.
Md Mostakim, a doctor at SOMCH, said 15 of his colleagues were giving treatment to the protesting students.
“Glucose level of some students had dropped while the blood pressure of some others fell substantially. We’ve given them saline. Those who’re falling seriously ill are being referred to hospitals,” he said.
“If they stretch the strike further then their conditions will deteriorate”, he added.
Dr Arman Ahmed Shiplu, deputy director of Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital, said that personal counseling was also being provided to the students.
Also Read- Sust protests: 16 students hospitalized, teachers’ delegation to meet Dipu Moni
Meanwhile, the protesting students brought out a symbolic coffin procession on the campus on Saturday afternoon. They started the march from the university's Golchattar area.
Education Minister Dipu Moni talked to the students on Friday. She said she wanted a solution to the crisis as soon as possible.
Earlier, in the small hours of Friday, the students brought out a torch rally and burnt the effigy of the VC on the campus.
Hours before that, a delegation of teachers met the students and requested them to break their fast, a request that went unheeded.
On Monday, the students wrote an open letter to President Abdul Hamid, the chancellor of the university, demanding the immediate removal of the VC.
The students also turned down the notice of shutting down the university for an indefinite period and the directive to leave their dormitories. Currently, the students are staying on the campus.
Sust was scheduled to be closed following a clash on the campus between police and the protesting students on January 16. The students were asked to leave the dormitories by 12pm the following day.
Also Read- Sust protests: Students not going to Dhaka to meet Dipu Moni
Meanwhile, a delegation of five teachers from Sust has reached Dhaka to meet Education Minister Dipu Moni, said Prof Tulsi Kumar Das, president of the Sust Teachers’ Association.
The delegation also includes Prof Dr Rashed Talukder, dean of the Faculty of Physical Science, Prof Muhibul Alam, general secretary of the Teachers Association, Prof Ariful Islam, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, and Khairul Islam Rubel, dean of the Faculty of Commerce.
Zafrin Ahmed, provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the unrest as she reportedly misbehaved with some students. She has already resigned from her post, citing health issues.
Dr Nazia Chowdhury, from the Physics department, has already replaced her.
The removal of Zafrin as the provost of the residential hall for female students was one of the principal demands of the students protesting on the campus.
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