Students Declare ‘Shaheed Mir Mugdha Hall’ by Occupying Fisheries Seed Farm at Khulna University

Students of Khulna University (KU) have occupied the ‘Khulna Fisheries Seed Production Farm,’ located within the university campus, and declared it as ‘Shaheed Mir Mugdha Hall.’ This action is part of their ongoing demand for more residential halls and land for research purposes. On Sunday (August 10), they hung a new banner in front of the farm building and staged the program.

The students marched from the university campus to the farm and asked the officials and employees to vacate the premises within ten minutes. Afterwards, they held a protest rally in front of the main building, displaying the banner with the name ‘Shaheed Mir Mugdha Hall’ and raised various slogans. They remained there until 2 PM.

The farm, operated by the Fisheries Department, covers 10.35 acres within KU’s boundary. It has long been an obstacle for providing residential facilities and conducting research. Despite having over 7,000 students, the university currently has only five halls, which can accommodate about 30% of the students. The need for land is particularly urgent for field research in biology-based departments.

Earlier, in February and November, students submitted memoranda and held protests demanding the transfer of the land to the university, addressing the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the university authorities. Although Farida Akhtar, an advisor to the ministry, acknowledged the necessity of transferring the land during her visit to Khulna, no final decision has yet been made.

Professor S M Mahbubur Rahman, acting registrar of Khulna University, said that a proposal to acquire 203 acres for expansion, including the fisheries farm office, has been sent to the ministry. However, he added that today’s occupation was not part of any official process, and students took this step out of frustration due to the long-standing unfulfilled demand.