The agitators also cut off power and telephone lines to the VC's residence and the administrative building and issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the authorities to resolve the water crisis staggering since September 23.

Jahanara Imam, Pritilata and Nawab Faizunnesa halls plunged into the 22-day water crisis after a pump went out of order.

A stick procession by the students exploded into an angry demonstration near the administrative building and the demonstrators confined VC Prof Jasim Uddin Ahmad, pro-VCs Prof M Imamuddin and Dr Enamul Huq Khan and Treasurer Prof ABM Enayet Hossain shortly before 12:00 noon when they were at a meeting.

The demonstration also left hundreds of employees of the building trapped inside as the students locked all seven gates.

The authorities postponed all examinations from October 16 to October 23 in the wake of the protest that also prevented other teachers and employees from commuting to Dhaka.

Yesterday was a day of processions on the campus by the students of the three dormitories, who carried placards announcing -- "water for life".

The VC, pro-VCs and the treasurer broke one of the gates open to free themselves after the demonstrators left the administrative building to stage a sit-in in front of the VC's residence.

Half an hour later, the pro-VCs tried to reach an understanding with the students, but their efforts relapsed into chaos leading the demonstrators to smash the gate of the VC's residence open and force their way in.

They snapped the power and telephone lines to the VC's residence and held a meeting inside, demanding resignation of the four top officials of the university. They threatened tougher programmes until their problem was resolved.

Prof Enamul Huq Khan said, "The crisis deepened as the private company tasked with installing a new pump, failed to do so. We handed the work to another company and it will take 10 days more."