Promise of public efforts makes hunger strikers break fast

After the assurance that a public investigation committee will be formed with intellectuals, teachers, and doctors to look into the medical college admission test question leak, agitating candidates ended their fast unto death last evening.

Economist Prof Anu Mohammad fed juice to the protesters at 6:30pm, on the capital's Central Shaheed Minar premises where they had stayed continuously for nearly 32 hours since Wednesday morning.

Around 60 admission aspirants and guardians took part in the strike, and some of them had fallen sick.

A professor of Jahangirnagar University, Anu Mohammad, said he would invite intellectuals, doctors, and teachers to a meeting at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University on October 19 to form the committee.

They will do it because the government did not form any investigation committee in the last 27 days since the leak occurred, he said.

"This committee will publish a report after collecting all evidence on the leak and will submit it to the authorities concerned of the government for taking necessary action," he said.

The professor said if the government did not act upon the report, they would build public opinion in favour of their demand.

Earlier, one of the demonstrators, Akash, said they were determined to continue their hunger strike until the health ministry accepted the demand for a fresh test but he fell sick later due to starvation and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Meanwhile, some medical interns of Dhaka Medical College had visited the strikers in secrete early hours yesterday since the DMC administration allegedly asked them not to help the protesters.

Seeking anonymity, an intern said, "We always want to stand by the demonstrators because we support their logical demand, but the administration threatened to take action against us if we support them."

The protesters said an honorary medical officer of Sir Salimullah Medical College had recently been suspended for his support to the candidates.

A group of admission aspirants have been demanding a fresh test as, they claimed, the test questions were leaked a day before the exam was held on September 18.

Intellectuals, politicians, some student organisations, students of Dhaka University and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), and different professionals earlier joined the protest and expressed solidarity with the call.

The demonstrators urged the prime minister to intervene immediately, saying the leak had already been "proved".

Columnist Abul Maksud also visited the spot last evening in support of the protest.