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Jahangirnagar University (JU), June 25, 2025: A group of students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a protest demanding the reinstatement of autorickshaw services on campus, locking the gates of the new administrative building on Wednesday. The demonstration, which began at 12:30 PM, left over a hundred admission-seeking students, Commonwealth Governance and Peace Directorate Professor Michele Scobie, and several journalists trapped inside the building, causing significant distress to those affected.
According to eyewitnesses and university sources, a group of students gathered in front of the administrative building as per a prior announcement and subsequently locked its gates, initiating the protest. This action trapped first-year undergraduate admission candidates, Commonwealth delegates, journalists, and university staff inside. Some of the trapped students were seen crying in panic. When the university’s Proctor, Professor AKM Rashidul Alam, requested the protesters to release those inside, they responded with chants of “fake, fake.” Although demands were made to release the Commonwealth delegates and journalists, some protesters attempted to attack the journalists present.
Video footage obtained from the protest shows several students charging toward journalists. Analysis of the footage identified some individuals involved, including Tanjir Rahman Himel from the 51st batch of the Geography and Environment Department, AKM Roknuzzaman Rimon from the 49th batch of the History Department and General Secretary of the History Students’ Union, and Naim Ahmed Sani from the 50th batch of the Archaeology Department.
Eyewitness Akib Sultan said, “Around fifty students locked the administrative building to demand autorickshaw services. This trapped over a hundred admission-seeking students, Commonwealth guests, and journalists.”
Ayesha Akter, an admission candidate from Khulna, expressed her frustration: “What’s our fault? We couldn’t complete the admission process, yet they held us hostage. When we asked them to unlock the gates, some behaved rudely.”
The university’s Proctor, Professor AKM Rashidul Alam, stated, “The protesters were asked to submit a written application. A decision will be made within seven days after consulting stakeholders. Some students misbehaved with journalists out of overzealousness, and we are collecting footage to discuss with the Vice-Chancellor for appropriate action.”
It is worth noting that autorickshaw services were banned on campus following a fatal accident in November last year, in which a student, Afsana Rachi, was killed. Since then, students have been demanding alternative transportation arrangements.
AI/MR
