Tension gripped Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) on Monday after newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam broke a lock on the administrative building and entered his office amid an ongoing student protest.
Sheikh Shariful Alam arrived at the university campus in Raozan around 9:00 am. According to university sources, he entered through the main gate identifying himself as a teacher before breaking the lock on the VC office building. Several people, including leaders of the CUET unit of Chhatra Dal, accompanied him.
News of his entry sparked protests, with students gathering and chanting slogans across the campus.
Protesting students locked the building again after the VC took up position inside. They continued demonstrations and chanted slogans in front of the vice-chancellor’s office. They also disconnected the water and electricity supply.
Meanwhile, the CUET Teachers’ Association, Officers’ Association, and Employees Association have rejected the vice-chancellor, alleging that he entered the campus with the help of outsiders. The three organisations have announced a complete work stoppage and non-cooperation until their demands are met.
The decision was announced at a joint press conference following an emergency meeting of the three organisations at the university’s central auditorium on Monday.
Addressing the press conference, Teachers’ Association President Prof Dr Mohammad Ahsan Ullah said the newly appointed VC had created an unacceptable situation by entering the campus with outsiders.
He said the three organisations strongly condemned the incident and rejected the VC’s presence on campus. “If any untoward situation arises on campus, the newly appointed vice-chancellor will bear full responsibility,” he said.
Prof Ahsan Ullah added that teachers, officers and employees at all levels would refrain from performing administrative and institutional duties until their previously announced demands were met. They would also maintain a complete work stoppage and extend full non-cooperation to the administration, he said.
Students have been protesting for 21 days, demanding the reinstatement of former VC Prof Dr Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem. They have boycotted classes and examinations as part of their movement.
On September 21, the government removed Sayem and appointed Sheikh Shariful Alam, a professor at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), in his place.