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DHAKA: Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) vandalised structures being built for two fairs at the old trade fair ground in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Wednesday morning, protesting a plan to relocate the Secretariat to the site.
The students have been demonstrating for several days, demanding that the government abandon the relocation plan and return the ground to the university for research purposes. University authorities later intervened and brought the students back to the campus.
Police and people involved in organising the fairs said preparations were under way for two events at the ground. A month-long Asia International Trade Fair was being organised alongside a week-long Youth Fair. Gates and stalls were being constructed for both events.
People involved in the fair preparations alleged that around 70 to 80 SAU students entered the ground on Wednesday morning and damaged the structures. They reportedly carried out the vandalism under a banner reading, “We want our research ground back, not the Secretariat.”
A police team was present at the site but could not stop the vandalism, they claimed. They also alleged that equipment and materials were taken away, causing financial losses.
A visit to the site around noon found part of a tin fence erected for the fairs damaged, while several wooden structures lay on the ground. Workers were dismantling some of the remaining stall structures.
Yusuf Sardar, who was involved in constructing stalls for the Youth Fair, told Prothom Alo that they had obtained government permission to build the stalls. If there were objections to using the ground for the fairs, those concerned should resolve the issue with the government, he said, questioning why the structures had been damaged and what fault the workers had committed.
He also alleged that the students had taken away tools and equipment used in the construction work.
An individual involved in building stalls for the Asia International Trade Fair, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the main entrance to their fair had been damaged. He alleged that more than 100 students had arrived, vandalised the structures and then left, causing losses worth several lakh taka.
SAU Acting Proctor Professor Tajul Islam told Prothom Alo that students had been protesting the proposed relocation of the Secretariat for several days. He said the university administration would take steps to address their demands and prevent further incidents of vandalism.
The students maintain that the old trade fair ground belongs to their university and must not be used to house the Secretariat. They are demanding that the land be returned for academic research.
On Tuesday, soil testing was under way at the ground as part of preparations for the proposed Secretariat relocation. Students marched to the site and took soil-testing equipment and two vehicles to their campus. They also boycotted classes and examinations that day.
The students have formed a steering committee to coordinate their movement and press for the return of the ground.