SAU students halt trade fair work on research field, give administration three-day ultimatum

Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) have launched a movement demanding the recovery of the university's research field. They have given the university administration a three-day ultimatum, demanding that the ongoing Asia Pacific trade fair activities on the field be stopped.

On Tuesday (27 October), as part of a pre-announced programme, students held a mass gathering, a protest procession and a sit-in on campus. Announcing a boycott of classes and examinations, they went to the old trade fair field and took position there.

At the start of the programme, students from various departments of the university gathered on campus. The protest procession then began in front of the flag stand, circled the administrative building and ended at the old trade fair field.

The students stopped the ongoing soil test work on the field. They also broke down a signboard installed on the field by the Public Works Department and brought it onto the campus; after the sit-in, the signboard was placed in front of the university's administrative building. Two vehicles used for collecting samples for the soil test were also brought onto the university campus.

During the programme, students chanted that from today this university and its administrative building too were under the Public Works Department. They said the symbolic move was meant to protest the administration's inaction.

Protesting student Md Ashik Ahmad said: "Today we have come to the campus with the samples of the soil test being conducted on the field. We want to tell the administration in clear terms - how inactive are you being that your field is being taken away right before your eyes, yet you show no concern! We are giving the administration three days. Within this time, an emergency syndicate meeting must be called, a strong legal fight must be announced, and the administration must confirm that this land is ours."

The students warned that if an emergency syndicate meeting is not called within this time to announce legal steps to recover the field, tougher programmes will follow.

Postgraduate student Wasiul Hasan Sarkar said students had boycotted all postgraduate classes and examinations in solidarity with the movement demanding the recovery of the research field.

Dr Salahuddin Ahmed, convener of the committee formed over the trade fair field, said: "Even though we have repeatedly communicated our committee's decision, no effective step has been taken accordingly."

On the matter, the university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Abdul Latif said: "We have a committee regarding the trade fair field. That committee has not yet informed us of any decision on our writ. Once they inform us of their decision, we will start work together with our legal advisor. We will sit with them today or tomorrow, and work will begin as quickly as possible according to whatever decision comes."

On the other hand, an official in charge of the fair committee said the fair activities were being conducted after taking permission from the Public Works Department through due process. He said: "Although the students' demand is large in scope, it is a matter of a long legal process. We have spent money and built structural infrastructure following the rules and we remain within the rules. About 80 percent of our fair work is complete."

Earlier, on 15 October, SAU teachers, students, officers and employees formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club demanding the recovery of the research field. On the same day, they also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office demanding that the field be returned to the university immediately.