A group of students from Kishoreganj University staged a protest on Thursday midnight, demanding the construction of a permanent campus and the holding of central student union elections. The demonstration took place around 11:45 pm at the temporary campus located on the premises of Gurudayal Government College. Following the protest, the students declared a complete shutdown of the university.
Earlier in the day, around 5:15 PM, a notice signed by Registrar Naila Yasmin was shared on the university’s official Proctorial Board WhatsApp group. The notice stated that, as Honours 1st-year examinations were ongoing at the Gurudayal Government College campus, Section 144 of the 42nd Act of 1980 would be in effect. It also directed that the main gate of the university remain closed, personal and public transportation be barred, and entry be restricted unless necessary.
The announcement sparked anger among students. In protest, they locked several offices, including the Vice-Chancellor’s office, the Registrar’s office, and various departmental offices. To calm the situation, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Dilip Kumar Barua and several faculty members spoke with the protesters, but the students vowed to continue their movement.
Students alleged that a memorandum requesting the permanent campus had already been submitted to the education adviser, and land acquisition approval had been obtained. Yet, the administration claimed that completing the full process would take an additional 7–9 months. Meanwhile, there is no formal agreement regarding academic activities at the Gurudayal College campus, meaning the college could ask the university to vacate at any time. Despite this, the administration has not considered any alternative temporary campus.
The students have announced that they will continue their protest until their demands for the speedy construction of the permanent campus, provision of an alternative temporary campus, and holding of central student union elections are met, and they have declared a full university shutdown.
Shafiul Muznibin, a student of the Computer Science and Engineering Department (2022–23 batch), said, “We are disheartened by the weak and spineless administration. By boycotting classes, exams, and labs, we aim to restore that backbone. The administration has not listened to students even once in the past year. Today’s action is the expression of long-standing frustration.”
Addressing the students, Vice-Chancellor Dr Dilip Kumar Barua assured that the administration would promptly discuss the students’ demands with the University Grants Commission (UGC).