Abdullah Al Mamun, BU  

This time, students of Barishal University (BU) have launched a movement demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Sucharita Sharmin as their only demand. They have issued a stern warning that if the Vice-Chancellor does not resign voluntarily, they will bring the southern region of the country to a standstill.

On Sunday at 1:30 PM, the protesting students announced this at a press conference held on the ground floor of Administrative Building-01 of the university.

At the press conference, one of the coordinators of the July Movement, Sujoy Biswas Shuvo, said, “For the past 18 days, students have been carrying out a peaceful movement. The demand is clear, the stance is clear, yet the Vice-Chancellor has not taken a single initiative to sit with us for discussions. This is not just negligence, this is a direct disregard for democracy. A university is a democratic institution; there is no room for autocratic mentality here. We have repeatedly shown responsibility, but now we are clearly stating that if the UGC or the education advisor does not take appropriate measures soon, we will declare a shutdown of the southern region. We do not want the general public to suffer, but if our legitimate demands are ignored, then resistance will be the only way forward.”

He further said, “Because of the logical movement, she has repeatedly filed lawsuits and general diaries against ordinary students. Instead of bringing the accomplices of autocracy under the law, she rewards them. She hasn’t even opened the aid appeal of a student suffering from cancer in five months.”

Earlier, at 11 AM, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Sucharita Sharmin held a press conference at her residence regarding the current situation of the university. At that time, the Vice-Chancellor stated that an emergency syndicate meeting had been held about the current situation. “I want to sit with the students regarding the present situation and their demands,” she said.

She also mentioned, “If a written undertaking is given, the accused students will be released from the cases and general diaries filed by the university administration.”

However, rejecting the Vice-Chancellor’s call, July Movement coordinator and Convener of the Barishal Metropolitan Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Shahidul Islam Shahed, said, “For the past three weeks, students have been conducting a peaceful movement with legitimate demands. The Vice-Chancellor could have sat with the students many times if she wanted, could have opened the door to discussions, but she didn’t even make a single attempt. Her time is over. We are not going into any discussion with her. We just want to say, accept the reality.”

Protesting student Nazmul Dhali said, “When students present various logical demands to the Vice-Chancellor of Barishal University, she pays no heed to them, and even after serving for almost nine months as VC, she has not carried out any visible development at the university.