Students at Dhaka Home Economics College Give 72-Hour Ultimatum for Principal's Resignation, Announce Closure of Classes and Exams
Students of the Government College of Applied Human Science in the capital (formerly Home Economics College) have raised two demands: the resignation of the principal and a trial for the police attack on students.
The students have set a 72-hour deadline to meet the demands. The protesters have announced that they will start a sit-in programme in front of the college again from 8am on Friday (6 November).
The students' first demand is that Principal Professor Meherunnesa must resign. Until a written announcement of resignation is given, all classes and examinations of the college must remain closed and the principal must not be allowed to enter the campus.
The second demand is a fair investigation and trial over the incident of police entering the college and the students' residential hall at midnight, carrying out a lathicharge and attacking. They have also demanded that the progress of the investigation be reported within 72 hours.
On Thursday (5 November) at around 10:30am, students began a protest by taking position in front of the principal's office. At one stage, they locked the office and confined the principal.
At around 11:30pm, police went there and rescued the principal after about 13 hours. Even after that, more than a hundred students continued their protest by taking position on the road in front of the college. They were seen staying on the road until 2:30am.
During the police operation to rescue the principal, allegations were raised of students being dragged down the stairs by their hair, lathicharged and beaten. The students claim several of them were injured in the police attack.
Among the injured, three to four are undergoing treatment in hospital. One student was injured after being crushed under a policeman's foot. She is receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The protesters have also alleged that police entered the college residential hall and beat and lathicharged the students. There are also allegations that the mobile phones and identity cards of several of them were taken away. Expressing concern, they said two students could not be found and raised the question of whether they had been detained.
At a press conference, the students said no political issue is involved with their movement. They have taken to the movement in protest against the principal's arbitrariness and misconduct towards students. Several of their classmates are injured and undergoing treatment in hospital.
The movement originated over a farewell programme held in the college auditorium before the Puja holiday. Master's final-year students of five departments in three residential halls were first given time until 10pm to hold the programme. Later, at the students' request, the time was extended to 12 midnight. However, the programme ended at 5am.
For using the auditorium beyond the scheduled time, Principal Professor Meherunnesa decided to cancel the residential hall seats of the two students who coordinated the programme. The students allege that later, when the two students went to apologise, a fine of 12,600 taka for one night's auditorium AC and electricity bill was demanded as a condition for returning their seats.
However, Principal Professor Meherunnesa has denied the students' allegations. On Thursday evening, she told journalists that although permission was given to hold the programme until 12 midnight, the students continued it until 5am. For that reason, a decision was taken to cancel the residential seats of two students. Later, when they apologised, she softened. However, she decided to collect the bill for wasted electricity to maintain discipline.
The principal said, “What the students are saying is totally the opposite of the incident. I had given them permission to hold a programme until 12 midnight. They held the programme until 5. In the context of holding the programme, I got a little angry and cancelled the seats of the two of them.”
Regarding the demand for resignation, she said, “They are asking me to sign a resignation on a blank paper. Why would I resign to them?”
The students have announced that they will start a sit-in programme in front of the college again from 8am on Friday. However, considering the candidates coming to sit for a scheduled job examination, they want to allow the examination to continue. At the same time, the protesters have also demanded that the principal not be able to enter the campus while the examination is under way.
At that time, the students chanted various slogans, including 'Awake, awake, Home Economics has awakened', 'Why police on campus, we want an answer' and 'Why is my sister injured, we want an answer'.
