Attack on Students Undesirable: Fouzul Kabir

A meeting between an 11-member delegation of protesting engineering students and two advisors of the interim government ended without any resolution. The meeting, held at the Railway Bhavan in the capital, began around 7 PM on Wednesday (August 27) and lasted for about an hour. Advisors Fouzul Kabir Khan (Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources) and Syeda Rizwana Hasan (Environment) were present.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Fouzul Kabir stated that five members of the seven-member committee formed to address the issue were absent. He announced that the full committee would reconvene on Thursday, involving stakeholders, including teachers and other engineers, to resolve the situation. Commenting on the recent events, Fouzul Kabir described the attack on students as "undesirable" and said a police representative would apologize for the incident.

The student representatives noted that they would discuss the meeting outcomes with their fellow protesters in detail. **Students’ Five-Point Demands:** 1. Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury must publicly apologize and be held accountable for the brutal attack on students. 2. The previously formed committee is deemed unfit to represent the students and is rejected. A reformed committee, including university teachers and stakeholders of the engineering movement, must be established immediately. The three-point demands must be met promptly through an executive order, with assurances from Advisors Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adilur Rahman, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan. 3. The government must cover the medical expenses of all students injured in the attack and ensure their safety during the movement. No further attacks by police on this justified movement will be tolerated. 4. Those who attacked student leader Rokon must be arrested and brought to justice, with dismissal from their jobs. 5. DC Masud must be sacked for the attack on the students’ justified movement. **Background:** The ‘Engineers’ Rights Movement,’ a platform of engineering students, announced a boycott of classes and exams, raising allegations of deprivation of engineering university students and recruitment of diploma holders in the 9th grade. Students from BUET and other engineering universities joined the movement. As part of their ‘Long March to Dhaka’ program, they protested on Wednesday toward the chief advisor’s residence, Yamuna, leading to clashes with the police. Later, they demonstrated in front of Hotel InterContinental. **Students’ Earlier Three-Point Demands:** 1. All candidates for engineering and 9th-grade assistant engineer positions must pass an exam and hold a BSc degree. No promotions through quotas or equivalent positions are allowed. 2. Both diploma and BSc degree holders must be allowed to participate in exams for filling technical 10th-grade or sub-assistant engineer positions. 3. Legal action must be taken against those who identify as engineers without a BSc engineering degree.