DE Online Desk:
Students of Government Titumir College have announced the indefinite closure of the college as part of their ongoing protest to demand its transformation into a university.
They declared the ‘Close Down Titumir College’ programme on Monday night following a day of protests, which included blocking both roads and rail lines in Dhaka’s Mohakhali.
Starting Tuesday, no classes or exams will take place on the college campus.
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The announcement was made during a press conference held at the college entrance around 9pm, where the students confirmed that all educational activities would remain suspended indefinitely until their demand for university status was met.
“From [Tuesday], there will be no classes or exams. We are not backing down until our demands are met,” said Aminul Islam, a student from the Mathematics department.
Initially, the students planned to continue their protest by blocking roads and railways, as they had done earlier in the day. Mahmudul Hasan, another student leader, later clarified that they would not pursue this course of action on Tuesday.
Mahmudul said, “We will not block the Railgate area on Tuesday. Our students held a blockade from 11am to 4pm [on Monday]. Since the government has promised to sit with us, we do not wish to cause further inconvenience to the public.”
He continued, “We will not block the roads on Tuesday. The ‘Barasat Barricade Programme’ was not only for [Monday]. It does not end here. We will take position at the college entrance and wait for a decision. If no action is taken, we will return to our previous protest locations.”
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The protests began at 11am, with hundreds of students gathering at Mahakhali’s Amtali, kitchen market, and Railway Crossing to push for their demand.
The students initially blocked roads and rail lines, causing severe traffic disruptions across the capital and causing major inconvenience to commuters.
Around 4pm, the students temporarily left the protest site and cleared the roads. However, by 6pm, they resumed the protests, once again blocking the Mohakhali-Gulshan road and creating further disruption.
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A group of 12 student representatives began a hunger strike outside the education advisor’s office at the Secretariat. These students had gone there to discuss their demands. They later left the site after completing their hunger strike, according to other students.
The students claimed that despite an earlier assurance from the education ministry officials, the authorities had backtracked on their commitment, which led to the renewed protests.
Habibur Rahman, a third-year student of English department, told reporter “After our protest this morning, 12 of our representatives went to the ministry. They were told that within three days, a commission would be formed to convert Titumir College into a university. But after the evening, the ministry officials backed out, saying that the commission would not be formed. That’s why we are back on the road.”
