The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Saturday warned the teachers and students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology that the government could go tough on them if the deadlock over their demand for removal of its vice-chancellor and pro-VC did not come to an end immediately.
‘...We are always sincere about resolving any problem through discussions. But we also know how to go tough. It is a reality and all should keep it in mind,’ she said at a meeting of the Awami League’s associate and front organisations at her official residence Ganabhaban.
Hasina said the way the BUET teachers were agitating against their colleagues was wrong and termed ‘psychopathic’ the students who had expressed protests by collecting their own blood and splashing it.
The prime minister made the remarks when a crisis was persisting at the BUET over agitation of students and teachers pressing for removal of its vice-chancellor SM Nazrul Islam and pro-vice-chancellor Habibur Rahman.
Hasina said that a section of teachers and members of civil society were instigating troubles in the educational institutions in a bid to disrupt peace in the country.
She said that her government would not allow anyone to play with the fates of thousands of students.
She came down hard on the BUET students for staging protest by spreading their own blood on the floor after collecting it with syringes. ‘We never witnessed in the past such perversion in our students who have glorious records of struggle for the cause of the nation,’ she added.
Referring to the way the BUET VC was humiliated, Hasina said once the teachers had elected him the VC of another university with the highest vote. ‘What would happen if they are humiliated in the same way in future,’ she asked.
The prime minister also castigated the teachers for using the students as tools for their purpose. ‘The lesson of arrogance that a section of BUET teachers have taught the students in the name of movement would not benefit the country in the long run, rather it might boomerang against them,’ she said.
Academic activities in the university were yet to resume after August 25 when the university reopened after 44 days of closure in the face of teachers’ movement.
The crisis in the university began on April 7 when the teachers’ association began a movement, levelling 16 allegations against the two top university officials. Students and other university officials joined them in mid-July.
The teachers rallied against the administration between April 8 and May 5, demanding removal of the two top officials.
Hasina said her government was sincerely trying to resolve the crisis in the BUET. She also said that there might be shortcomings and flaws in running the country, but her government never hesitated to correct an error whenever it was brought to her notice. 
United News of Bangladesh add: the prime minister warned that the army-backed caretaker government like the previous one would not bring any good for anyone. 
‘The caretaker ghost has not completely vanished yet, we just restricted them with the help of the people,’ she said.
Hasina said the people who were demanding restoration of the caretaker government system might not be able to escape if an army-backed caretaker government, like the previous one, captured power again.
She said those who had benefited during the last army-backed caretaker government were now desperately engaged in spreading confusions against the present government.