RUET Students Protest Land Grabbing and Demand Campus Border Security

Students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) took to the streets on Saturday, August 29, to stage a prominent human chain protest. The central demands of the demonstration focused on freeing university land from illegal occupation and ensuring the comprehensive security of the campus boundaries. Approximately three hundred students participated in expressing their grievances and urging immediate administrative action regarding the disputed territory.

The demonstration commenced at 11:00 AM when the participating students marched out in a rally originating directly from the RUET administrative building. Following the procession, the gathered students proceeded to the bustling Talaimari area situated along the major Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in Rajshahi, where the main human chain program was officially conducted to maximize public and administrative visibility.

During the protest, student representative Mirat Shafin Turjya detailed the core grievances of the student body, stating that two specific demands must be met regarding the university's perimeter. The first demand calls for the immediate eviction of a public toilet constructed during the fascist era directly within the RUET boundaries, alongside all illegal structures adjacent to the campus wall, as students firmly reject any unauthorized installations inside the university territory.

Elaborating further on the second demand, Mirat Shafin Turjya explained that if a public toilet is to exist, it must be located elsewhere rather than by breaking the RUET boundary wall. Furthermore, he noted that numerous illegal structures built right next to the boundary wall severely obstruct the movement of pedestrians and students alike, forcing foot traffic onto the main road where heavy vehicles constantly operate, thereby creating a hazardous situation that continually results in accidents.

To resolve these safety hazards, the student representatives emphasized the urgent need to evict these unauthorized establishments and clear the footpath so that everyone can commute safely. Citing the gravity of these ongoing safety risks and boundary violations, the protesting students formally concluded their demonstration by issuing a strict seven-day ultimatum to the university administration to address and resolve these critical land and security issues.