Dhaka: Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta on Friday criticised the private university students for registering their protests against 7.5 percent VAT imposed on their tuition fees taking to the streets, saying their movement caused immense sufferings to people.

‘The way the private university students staged demonstrations taking to the streets was not right at all. You (students) have to wage a movement together with people of all walks of life without being emotional. You went against the people. We all know how people suffered yesterday [Thursday]. It was a terrible experience,’ he said.

Suranjit, also an AL advisory council member, came up with the remarks while addressing a discussion on the country's contemporary politics at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh.

Coming down heavily on the private university owners, the AL leader said standard and environment of education and infrastructures in most of the private universities are not up to the mark. ‘The owners are engrossed in making profits; rather than ensuring quality education,’ he said.

Observing that education and students are not products to the government, he said, ‘You have to pay tax as you are doing business over education although you declared private universities as nonprofit organisations while receiving licences.’

Suranjit also urged the Education Ministry and the University Grants Commission to be more alert and increase their vigilance over the universities which are busy making profits instead of maintaining quality education.