Minister meeting with BUET students

Dhaka, Sep 5 (bdnews24.com)—Representatives of the demonstrating students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) bent on seeing the Vice-chancellor go sat on Wednesday with Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid.
The meeting, being held at the minister's office at the Secretariat, is being attended by 16 representatives from departments of the top engineering university along with mechanical engineering Professor Muhammad Ehsan and industrial and production engineering Professor A K M Masud.
Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser and University Grants Commission Chairman Prof A K Azad Chowdhury are accompanying the minister.
Mechanical engineering student Sudipta Saha told bdnews24.com around noon: "All of us want the removal of the Vice Chancellor. However, the Education Minister has assured our teachers of resolving the problem. We will talk to the minister about various issues including how much time it would take and about ensuring that we are not harassed until then."
The teachers demanding removal of the Vice Chancellor and the Pro-Vice Chancellor called off demonstration and announced to return to classes on Tuesday following a meeting with Nahid on Monday night.
But the students said they would announce their decision after talks with the minister.
Nahid had also assured the BUET Teachers' Association leaders of dropping the two cases against the demonstrating students and teachers at the meeting on Monday midnight.
Afterwards, Association leaders sat with the protesting students and general teachers since Tuesday morning separately to discuss the situation and minister's assurance while VC Prof Nazrul Islam in the afternoon ordered withdrawal of the cases filed with the Shahbagh police.
However, students at a press conference on the BUET campus in the afternoon declared they would not return to classes until their demands were met. Hours later, at another press briefing, their teachers declared that they were ending their demonstrations to resume classes.
At the students' press meet, chemical engineering student Merina Jahan renewed their demand that the government withdraw the VC and Pro-VC together.
"Our one and only demand is removal of the VC and the Pro-VC. We won't return to classes until our demands are met (fully)," she said while reading out a written statement.
"We believe we are not safe on the campus where there are people who have implicated us in false cases," she said.
The student said these people did not care even when they saw the blood of the students spilled on the campus.
She urged the Education Minister to come to the BUET campus. "Please come here. Listen to us. Take the decision after understanding our emotions and the reality."
Later at the teachers' press briefing, BUET Teachers' Association President Professor Mojibur Rahman said the teachers decided in principle to return to their classes according to the minister's assurance to take necessary steps to meet the demands of the students and teachers.
He, however, said they were not going back on their demand for the ouster of the VC. "I hope the matter will be resolved through discussions."
Responding to a query on the students continuing with their demonstrations, Association General Secretary Professor Ashraful Islam told bdnews24.com : "This is a matter for the students. The Minister and Education Secretary will come to campus (Wednesday). We hope to reach a resolution on the matter on discussion with them."
"But some preparations are needed to be made for that to happen. New academic calendar has to be prepared as the university has been closed for a long time. It'll take two or three days."
Computer science Professor Humayun Kabir also told reporters that Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser told the teachers that he would pay a visit to the campus on Wednesday along with minister Nahid.
BUET teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC Islam and Pro-VC Habibur Rahman of different irregularities in the administration. The students also joined their cause eventually.
In the wake of joint movement, the BUET authorities had advanced the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation by a month to close it on July 10 until Aug 24. The decision, however, failed to deter the protesters from going ahead with the movement.
The university activities resumed on Aug 25 but classes and examinations did not take place as the teachers and students continued with their protest.
BUET VC Nazrul Islam on Tuesday afternoon told bdnews24.com : "I have ordered withdrawal of the cases following the decision taken at the meeting between the BUET Teachers' Association and the Education Minister."
The BUET authorities had filed two cases with the Shahbagh police around Sunday midnight accusing around a hundred teachers and students of attacking the offices of the VC and Pro-VC, vandalism, ransacking records and looting Tk 300,000.