In response to students' ongoing boycott of academic activities protesting against political involvement on campus, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) authorities have decided to postpone exams, as announced following an academic council meeting on Saturday evening.
The students have been abstaining from classes and examinations, protesting against the presence of Chhatra League activists engaging in political gatherings on campus, which is against university regulations. Despite the conclusion of Eid holidays, the boycott persists as part of the students' movement against campus political activities.
A member of the academic council, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the decision to postpone exams was made in consideration of the overall situation. A revised exam schedule will be announced at a more suitable time.
The protest stems from events on March 27 when Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain, accompanied by other leaders and activists, entered the Buet campus alongside Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, a Buet student and Chhatra League activist. Rabbi allegedly facilitated their entry, prompting demonstrations by Buet students on March 29 against the perceived interference of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists on campus.
Despite the cancellation of Rabbi's hall allocation by Buet authorities on March 30, students continue to demand his expulsion. On April 2, Buet students appealed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for intervention, seeking to uphold their campus as a politically neutral zone. The appeal was conveyed through an open letter shared during a press briefing held in front of the Prof MA Rashid Administrative building on the Buet campus.
Following the tragic death of second-year student Abrar Fahad, who was fatally tortured by a group of Chhatra League members at Sher-e-Bangla Hall on October 7, 2019, student politics at Buet was banned. However, on April 1, the High Court affirmed the validity of the university notice prohibiting student politics on campus.
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