Students are standing on the road in front of Titumir College, causing traffic to be blocked

Students of government-run Titumir College have staged a protest in front of the institution's main gate, demanding seven key points, including the conversion of the college into an independent university.

The protest, which began Thursday morning, has led to traffic blockages on both sides of the road in front of the college, affecting routes from Amtali to Gulshan 1 and Gulshan 1 to Amtali.

A Prothom Alo reporter at the scene noted that at around 11:30 am, the protesting students marched out of the campus and gathered at the main gate, chanting slogans such as 'TU na TC, TU TU.' Titumir College is one of seven government colleges in the capital where students are advocating for university status.

On Wednesday afternoon, five students from Titumir College began a hunger strike, demanding their seven-point agenda, which includes the conversion of the college into a university. By this morning, two of these students, Aminul Islam and Rana Ahmed, had fallen ill and were taken to the hospital. Additionally, two more students joined the hunger strike today.

Nayek Noor Mohammad, a student from the Department of Political Science and one of the hunger strikers, said, "Five students began the hunger strike at 5 pm yesterday. This morning, two of them became ill, and we informed the teachers, but there was no response. The sick students were taken to the hospital, and two more joined the hunger strike. We're protesting today because of the lack of support from the teachers for the hunger strikers."

"We've been forced to take to the streets, and we won’t leave until our demands are met," said Noor Mohammad.

Police were seen at the protest site around 1:45 pm today, after the students began their demonstration.

The seven-point demands of the students are:

1. Conversion of Titumir College into a university with state recognition and the publication of an academic calendar.
2. Formation of the Titumir University administration and the initiation of the admission process for the 2024-25 session.
3. Ensuring 100% housing for students or covering the housing costs for all students immediately.
4. Introduction of at least two international standard subjects (law and journalism) starting from the 2024-25 session.
5. Appointment of qualified PhD teachers for academic activities.
6. Limiting the number of seats to enhance the quality of education.
7. Securing land and financial resources to build laboratories that meet international education standards.