JU Admin Building Blockade Withdrawn After Eight Hours

Students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) have withdrawn their eight-hour blockade of the new administrative building. The protest was staged to demand the immediate arrest of the suspect involved in the attempted rape of a female student, ensure a swift trial, and establish administrative accountability. However, the agitating students stated that the padlock they placed on the university Proctor’s office remains in place.

The blockade was lifted on Sunday at 6:20 pm after students unlocked the gates of the building. Earlier that morning, at around 10:00 am, a group of female students from various departments initiated the protest by locking the two main entrances of the new administrative building.

Context of the Incident and Student Agitation

The protest stems from an incident on 12 May at approximately 11:00 pm, when a female student was allegedly dragged into the dark and subjected to an attempted rape near the abandoned Fazilatunnesa Hall on campus. Following the incident, the university administration filed a case against an unidentified individual at Ashulia Police Station. Five days after the event, the suspect remains at large.

According to the protesting students, the blockade commenced at 10:00 am on Sunday in line with a pre-announced programme. During the protest, demonstrators barred university officers and staff from entering or leaving the premises. Consequently, officials remained confined inside the building for two hours beyond their standard working hours.

At approximately 4:45 pm, Vice-Chancellor (VC) Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan arrived at the scene to meet with the demonstrators. He provided the latest updates regarding the police case and the internal inquiry committee established by the administration. Following a internal discussion, the students presented modified demands to the Vice-Chancellor:

• The university inquiry committee must submit its report within three days instead of the originally scheduled seven days.

• The perpetrator must be identified within the next three days.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Vice-Chancellor did not provide a definitive answer to these demands. Simultaneously, staff members trapped inside the building became agitated, prompting the students to unlock the doors and withdraw the blockade.

Timeline of Key Events

Statements from Students and Administration

Lamisha Zaman, a History Department student involved in the protest, stated:

“Our blockade programme was primarily aimed at ensuring administrative accountability and obtaining updated information regarding the case. The Vice-Chancellor spoke with us and informed us about the progress in identifying the suspect. It has been conveyed that the inquiry committee formed by the university administration will submit its report within three days instead of seven, and the criminal is to be identified within the next three days. We demand that the culprit be arrested immediately and brought to justice.”

Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan assured that law enforcement agencies and various state organs are making their utmost efforts to apprehend the perpetrator responsible for the attempted rape.

Controversy and Protests Over ‘Fascist’ Label

The ongoing unrest saw further complications following a protest staged on Saturday in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence, where students demanded the resignation of the university Proctor. During an altercation with the Vice-Chancellor, a student from the 48th batch of the Anthropology Department labelled the Vice-Chancellor a “fascist”.

In response to this remark, students from the Philosophy Department—the Vice-Chancellor’s own department—organised a protest march and a human chain on Sunday afternoon. The procession concluded at the base of the university’s Central Shaheed Minar.

Mohammad Ali Chishaty, an executive member of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU), joined the human chain in solidarity. He stated:

“We have seen that even the VC Sir, who was a frontline warrior in July and who led the most significant movements on campus against the injustices and oppression of the Awami League prior to July, was labelled a fascist yesterday. This is deeply shameful and insulting for all students of our university and all stakeholders of the July movement. We protest against this.”

Concurrently, the campus unit of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) issued a statement strongly condemning the “fascist” label attributed to the Vice-Chancellor. A press release signed by the organization’s Office Secretary, Abdullah Ontor, on Saturday night expressed deep concern over the recent attempted rape and murder incidents on campus. The statement affirmed that while Chhatra Dal firmly supports all logical student movements and advocates for collective action between the administration, law enforcement, and conscious students, the use of the term “fascist” against the Vice-Chancellor under the banner of “general students” was highly unfortunate, unwarranted, and condemnable.