Protesting students of Sunamganj Medical College on Monday, the seventh day of their ongoing movement, imposed a complete shutdown on the campus pressing for their two-point demand, including immediate opening of the hospital on the college campus.
Their demonstrations, including sit-in and human chain, started on the college campus at about 9:00am after they locked the main entrance of the college building, halting administrative and academic activities, the students said.
Apart from the two-point demand, the student representatives in a rally held on the campus in the morning also demanded that the army personnel who baton-charged on their Sunday demonstrations must be identified and punished.聽
They alleged that although they had sought only five minutes to withdraw their highway blockade, the army personnel started charging batons on them, even on their female fellows, leaving more than 53 demonstrators injured. The army even attacked the students entering the medical college campus, the protesting students alleged.
They vowed to continue their protest programme until their demands were met.
The protesting students also formed an hour-long human chain along the Sylhet-Sunamganj regional highway at Madanpur in Shantiganj upazila in the district.
On Sunday early afternoon, an army patrol team allegedly charged batons on the protesting students, forcing them to withdraw from the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway.聽
The students of Sunamganj Medical College began their movement from April 15, boycotting academic activities over demands for opening the newly built hospital on the campus by December and establishing a patient ward to ensure regular clinical classes within a short time.聽
Stating that it was mandatory to attend clinical classes for the third, fourth and fifth year medical students, they alleged that they had only 10 clinical classes last year at Sunamganj Sadar Hospital, 13 kilometres away from their college.聽聽
The academic activities of the medical college temporarily began at the Shantiganj Upazila Health Complex on September 12, 2021 and the college was later shifted to its permanent campus on November 5, 2023.
鈥楢 five-storey hospital building has been constructed on the college campus but its activities are yet to begin particularly due to a shortage of manpower and absence of gas supply,鈥� medical college principal professor Mustaq Ahmed Bhuiyan told 抖阴精品.
He said that the hospital was supposed to open in June but the project period was extended by one more year.聽聽
At present, 280 students are studying in five batches of the college, its officials said.