Chattogram Bureau

A hunger strike unto death by students of Rangamati Science and Technology University (RMSTU), demanding the resignation of Project Director Abdul Gafur and implementation of several other demands, continued on Monday.
The protest began in the morning, with students remaining on the university campus throughout the day despite scorching heat, rain and adverse weather conditions.

The students did not leave the protest venue even at night. According to the protesters, at least two students have already fallen ill after remaining on hunger strike for a prolonged period. Their physical conditions were checked at the scene, including blood pressure and other basic health examinations.

Several students were seen lying down at the hunger-strike venue while others stayed beside them.

The protesters alleged that various allegations against Project Director Abdul Gafur—including issues related to the recruitment process, educational qualifications, financial transactions, project management, financial dealings with contractors and administrative conduct—have been raised for a long time. However, they said the university administration has yet to take any visible decision on the matter.

The protesting students said they had earlier held a human chain and press conference on July 28 over the same demands. They later submitted a memorandum to the university Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Despite holding several rounds of discussions with the administration, no effective decision was taken to address their demands, forcing them to resort to the tougher programme, they said.

The protest programme was formally inaugurated at 11:00am on Monday in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office. Later, the students demanded the resignation of Project Director Abdul Gafur and began an indefinite hunger strike in the afternoon.
The protesters further demanded that Abdul Gafur be kept away from all administrative and financial responsibilities pending an investigation.

In addition, the students demanded verification of statements presented in audio and video recordings regarding the alleged issuance of an office order appointing the project director through a Tk 2 million financial transaction at the relevant level of the Ministry of Education. They also called for forensic examination of the recordings and legal action if necessary.

They further said that students were continuing the protest despite being exposed to scorching heat and rain. Even after some students fell ill, they announced that they would remain at the protest venue until their demands were met.

The students’ key demands include the resignation of Project Director Abdul Gafur; removing him from all administrative and financial responsibilities pending an investigation; re-verification of his appointment and educational qualifications; investigation in