Hundreds of Jangannath University (JnU) students sat down in front of the Secretariat at 5:00 pm Monday to press home their demands for an army-led campus construction project and better accommodation facilities.
The students were reportedly continuing their Sunday’s hunger strike.
Earlier, at 3:00 pm, the protesting students gave the government an hour to issue a written pledge to fulfill all their three demands. Failure to issue the written statement would force the students to besiege the Secretariat, they threatened.
Minutes earlier, government fixed Wednesday as the date to hold a meeting among the army engineering unit, education ministry, University Grants Commission, and Jagannath University authority to discuss the students demands.
However, the students rejected the meeting plan, and demanded a clear written statement that their demands would be approved in the same meeting.
The demands are: 1) appointing army engineers for completing second campus construction works, 2) approving the budget for constructing two steel-made building for the university, and 3) providing 70 per cent residential rents from next month for temporary accommodation of the students until the second campus construction works completion.
On Sunday, many of the students went on a hunger strike and padlocked the university central gate to press home their demands.
The students of JnU have been carrying out a mass hunger strike for 31 hours to press home their three-point demand. They announced a ‘complete shutdown’ at the university on Monday morning.
By noon, many fell sick, and at least 15 were hospitalised.
bd-pratidin/GR
