Students residing in accommodation under the “Medhabi Project” run by the As-Sunnah Foundation have implemented a blockade program at the main gate of the administrative building of Jagannath University (JnU) for nine consecutive hours, demanding inclusion in a special scholarship scheme. 

As of 7pm on Monday, when this report was filed, the Vice-Chancellor, the Treasurer, and other administration officials remained confined inside.

The blockade commenced Monday at 10am in front of the university’s administrative building. The protesting students stated that the blockade would continue until their demands are met.

Hasnat Hossain, one of the protesting students, said: “We are standing here with our legitimate demands. Many students stay in halls by paying subsidies of Tk 5,000–6,000. Some even pay Tk 9,000–10,000. So why should we be excluded from the scholarship?”

Bakhtiar Islam, a student of the Department of Islamic History and Culture, said, “The As-Sunnah Hall authorities have told us that the Medhabi Hall has no affiliation with Jagannath University. They have instructed that As-Sunnah Hall should not be considered a university hall. We will not leave this place until our three demands are fulfilled. If the demands are not met, the movement will become more intense.”

The students’ three-point demands are: inclusion of students residing under the As-Sunnah Foundation-run ‘Medhabi Project’ within the housing scholarship policy, like general students; removal of the imposed conditions of 70 percent attendance and CGPA-based criteria in order to keep the housing scholarship need-based rather than merit-based; and complete withdrawal of the re-admission-related conditions.

Meanwhile, the As-Sunnah Foundation has requested that its ‘Medhabi Project’, meant for regular students of Jagannath University, not be considered as an administrative or residential hall of the university.