Students confine principal, stage mid-night protest at Applied Human Science College

Police rescued Prof Meherunnesa, principal of Government College of Applied Human Science, from her office nearly 12 hours after the students her confined her there on Thursday, protesting her “authoritarian measures against a minor order violation.”

After the police escorted her out of her office, hundreds of students launched a demonstration on the road next to the campus, and continued protests until 2:30am Friday.

One protester, Chaiti Shahana, even alleged that when rescuing Prof Meherunnesa, police charged at them with batons, leaving two students injured.

At a press briefing around 2am Friday, they announced the protest would resume 8am followed by an initial break to allow public job recruitment exams to continue.

On Thursday, the students were demanding that Prof Meherunnesa resign for allegedly using the “fascist playbook” against two students. The principal revoked the accommodation facilities of two students, who had continued an event well past the authorised timeline.

Afterwards, the principal asked the two students to pay Tk12,600 in electricity bills for operating air conditioning system and other electric facilities past the authorised deadline.

However, the students said they could not afford the sum.

Apart from the principal’s resignation, Chaiti also demanded issuing a show-cause notice to the policemen involved in the attacks on students. The protesters also called for the suspension of all college activities until the principal resigns and declaring all the teachers and employees “unfit for office” for supporting the police rescue attempt and attack on students.

According to the students and college administration, a farewell ceremony for post-graduate students from five disciplines was held at the college auditorium before the Durga Puja holiday.

The college management ordered the students to wrap up the programme by 10pm, but the students requested a two-hour extension. However, the programme was continued till 5am the next day, irking the principal.

Upon receiving information, the principal cancelled the dormitory seats of two students involved in arranging the programme. The two students and others asked for apology twice on 13 and 14 October, but Prof Meherunnesa refused to budge.

A third apology request was placed on 15 October, said Chaiti Sahana. However, Chaiti did not clarify if the principal had accepted the third apology request.

Prof Meherunnesa told reporters that she had pardoned the students, but asked the two students to pay Tk12,600 in electricity bills as a pre-condition to get back their dormitory access.

Being unable to pay the sum, and angered at the principal’s alleged uncompromising nature, a group of students confined her to her office at 10:30am Thursday. Around 11:30pm police rescued her, said Mostaq Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Lalbagh Division at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.