Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) on Monday demolished temporary structures at the Asia International Trade Fair ground on the university’s research field, demanding that the land be returned for academic and research activities.

The protest follows the Cabinet’s approval in principle on October 18 of a proposal to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat from Abdul Gani Road to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, with the government aiming to begin operations at the new site by 2029.

More than 150 students entered the fairground around 1:15pm and damaged several temporary installations, according to eyewitnesses.

Two agricultural tractors were brought in to demolish the structures, while a microphone-equipped pickup van was used to direct the students.

The students first attempted to pull down the main entrance gate with a tractor around 12:45pm. When that failed, they joined forces and used large bamboo poles to bring it down. The gate was eventually demolished around 1:15pm as they chanted slogans including “Our campus, let it remain ours” and “We want the bureaucrats and secretaries out”.

They then used tractors to damage other temporary structures and plough parts of the field.

Police personnel were stationed at the three-way intersection near the China Friendship Conference Centre and the Planning Ministry but did not intervene. Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, said police would not obstruct the students’ demolition activities and expressed hope that they would return peacefully.

The students said they launched the protest to reclaim the research field and resume academic and research activities there.

Rupa Akter, a second-year student of the university’s Department of Agriculture, said they had submitted memorandums to successive governments, including the Awami League government, the interim administration and the BNP government, but had received no effective response.

“Our only demand is that the research field be returned to us. Instead of sitting in the Secretariat, the government should return our research field and allow us to continue our research work there,” she said.

The students also expressed concern about the environmental impact of construction on the land and the possibility that public access to the area could be restricted.

Arafat, a fifth-year student, said the land’s capacity to absorb carbon and the potential environmental consequences should be assessed before any structures were built there.

He said people regularly visited the area around the mausoleums of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia for morning and evening walks and recreation. Relocating the Secretariat there could bring tighter security measures, restricting public movement and recreational activities, he added.

The students said university teachers had the necessary documents and information regarding ownership of the research field. A committee of teachers was working on the issue and had already met with secretaries to explore a solution through discussions with the relevant authorities.

They said they planned to restore the unused land for research by planting grass, improving soil quality and gradually planting trees.

The students also said they had spoken to the agriculture minister on Sunday, who assured them of his support.