Dhaka, Feb 22 (V7N) – Students of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (Kuet) held an anti-terrorism protest march demanding the arrest of those involved in the recent attack on students.
The protest started at noon on Saturday from the Student Welfare Centre, marching past various residential halls before concluding back at the starting point.
On Friday night, at around 8pm, students locked the main gate of the vice-chancellor’s (VC) residence. As of Saturday afternoon, the building remained locked.
The students said that they would continue their movement until their demands were met. They have also called for the resignation of VC Prof Dr Mohammad Masud.
During the protest, students chanted slogans such as “Break the black hands of student politics,” “Beware of student politics brokers,” “Beware of BNP’s agents,” and “Education and terrorism cannot go hand in hand.”
At a brief rally following the march, the students expressed their frustration, saying that despite four days passing since the attack, no identified perpetrators had been arrested, leaving them feeling unsafe.
They added that students were afraid to step outside campus and that neither the government nor the administration had reached out to them. No government representative had visited the injured students.
The protesters declared that they would continue their sit-in demonstration on campus until all six of their demands were met.
One student at the rally accused the VC of attempting to introduce politics into Kuet’s apolitical campus saying: “He has failed to protect us from the attack by student wing terrorists. Even after more than 150 students were injured, he refused to take responsibility.”
“Despite the clear evidence, he has not acknowledged that Kuet student wing members, local BNP leaders, and affiliated activists were involved in the attack on general students,” the student added.
On Friday evening, before the protest at the VC’s residence, students organized a photo exhibition titled "Roktakto Kuet 18.02.25" at the Student Welfare Centre. The exhibition displayed images of injured students and various moments from their six-point movement.
Later, students submitted a letter to the chief adviser, demanding the appointment of a new vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellor.
The clashes at Kuet erupted on Tuesday over demands to ban student politics on campus. That night, students held a press conference, listing their six-point demands, including the resignation of the VC, Pro-VC, and the director of Student Welfare.
On Wednesday, they set a 1pm deadline for fulfilling their demands. They also announced a complete shutdown of academic activities until their demands were met. In protest, students locked the administrative and academic buildings.
END/MSS/AJ
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