RUET students withdraw blockade after assurance from administration

Students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) have called off their highway blockade after four hours of protest against the release on bail of individuals accused of assaulting their peers.

The protest ended around 2:15pm today (30 December) following assurances from the university administration that necessary actions would be taken against the attackers. 

The demonstration, which began at 10:30am on the highway in the Talaimari area of Rajshahi, caused significant traffic congestion.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the administration, Maruf Billah Rifat, a second-year student from the Mechanical Engineering department, explained that the court granted bail to the accused due to delays in receiving the medical report caused by holidays.

"The administration has been cordial with us. They have assured us they will work judiciously to provide us security," Maruf said.

Mahfuzur Rahman, another student from the same department, said police will have to submit the probe report within the next one week.

"The other attackers will have to be arrested. Otherwise, we will be forced to announce programmes again," Mahfuzur said.

During the protest, RUET students presented five demands, including arresting the attackers immediately and giving them exemplary punishment.

They also demanded an explanation from the administration about giving bail to the attackers instead of taking them into remand and not being able to arrest the remaining attackers.

The other demands include- Freeing the residential areas of Rajshahi from arms, drugs and terror, taking steps to mitigate the intensity of these menaces around the RUET campus, securing 
RUET and adjacent areas from theft and mugging while punishing the culprits and recovering the stolen items, ensuring regular patrolling by law enforcement agencies around the RUET campus and setting up a police box at Talaimari immediately. 

Earlier, RUET students blocked the highway in the Talaimari area of Rajshahi city on Monday, protesting the release on bail of individuals arrested for assaulting students.

The protesting students said on 16 December, a minor dispute between local shopkeepers at the Hajj intersection in the Bhodra residential area of the city led to an attack on second-year mechanical engineering students Rakibul Islam Rocky and Ataullah Shuvo. As a result, Shuvo suffered a head injury.

Later in the evening, when they went to inquire about the incident, local residents launched a second attack on them. This time, several RUET teachers and students were injured.

The police arrested two individuals in connection with the attack, but the court granted them bail, they said.