Jagannath University has been declared shut down until further notice, as announced by the General Secretary of the Teachers' Association, Professor Dr Rais Uddin. The announcement came following discussions with students protesting in Kakrail.
Professor Rais Uddin stated, "We are here to demand the rightful dues of Jagannath University. The police have carried out an unprovoked attack on us. This is outright injustice and chaos. We haven't come to accuse or conspire against anyone—we're here to demand our rights. We will not return until our demands are met. The university will remain shut until then."
He further warned, "Any attempt to forcefully remove us from here will have consequences. I will not allow anyone to harm my students in front of me."
Protesting students joined in with slogans such as "We want housing, not deprivation," "No to budget cuts," and "We demand justice for the attack."
Students of Jagannath University have been staging a sit-in protest in Kakrail for nearly 24 hours. Despite exhaustion, no one has left the demonstration. Some students even spent the night sleeping on the streets and continued protesting the next morning.
The students have outlined four key demands:
- From the 2025–26 fiscal year, at least 70% of students should receive housing scholarships.
- The proposed full budget for Jagannath University should be approved without cuts.
- The second campus project should be passed and implemented in the upcoming ECNEC meeting.
- A proper investigation must be conducted into the police attack on May 14, and those responsible should face exemplary punishment.
The protests began on Wednesday at 11 am with a long march toward the Chief Advisor's residence. As the procession passed through Gulistan and Matsya Bhaban and reached Kakrail Mosque at around 12:40 pm, police fired tear gas and sound grenades at the protesters. Hot water was also used to disperse the crowd. After dispersal, police carried out a baton charge, injuring over a hundred people, including students, teachers, and journalists.
Later that night, Advisor Mahfuz appeared for a press briefing, but his statement failed to satisfy the students. Chants of "fake, fake" rang out from the crowd, and at one point, someone hurled a bottle toward him, prompting him to end the briefing and leave.
In response to his remarks, students decided to continue their demonstration. As of the latest reports, the protest at Kakrail Mosque is still ongoing.
