Five students of Barishal University have fallen seriously ill during a hunger strike demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Suchita Sharmin. As the protest enters its 29th day, students have also blocked the highway and initiated an academic and administrative shutdown, bringing campus operations to a halt. Eleven students began the indefinite hunger strike on the ground floor of the university on Monday night. Faculty, staff, and other employees have since expressed solidarity with the movement.