Thirty-seven students of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), who had been suspended for allegedly harassing teachers, were served show-cause notices on Monday.
Kuet authorities said the notices contain seven allegations, including misconduct towards teachers. The students have been asked to respond by 5pm on Thursday.
Prof Dr Abdullah Elias Akhter, director of student welfare at Kuet, said the notice was issued based on the findings of the investigation committee formed during the syndicate meeting held on February 19.
Meanwhile, teachers of Kuet refrained from taking classes for the sixth consecutive day since academic activities resumed.
They remain firm in their decision not to take classes or examinations until punishment is enforced on the students accused of harassing teachers.
Additionally, the teachers declared that if disciplinary action is not implemented by Thursday, they will also abstain from administrative duties.
Kuet Teachers’ Association President Prof Dr Md Shahidul Islam said they will hold a general meeting and decide on further actions once their demands are fulfilled.
Several students who received the notice said that among the 37 students, the first seven are activists of Chhatra Dal, while the rest are general students.
They claimed that the general students only took part in protests demanding the vice-chancellor’s resignation and did not harass any teachers.
Since the clash on February 18, classes and examinations at Kuet have remained suspended, causing growing concern among the 7,500 students over potential academic session delays.
At an emergency syndicate meeting on April 14, a decision was made to suspend the 37 students involved in the incidents on February 18 and 19.
The meeting also instructed that the matter be referred to the university’s student disciplinary committee for further action based on the investigation report.
Later, the students launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of the vice-chancellor.
Even the intervention of the education adviser failed to break the strike.
On April 23, during the 102nd emergency syndicate meeting, the suspension order was withdrawn.
A notification signed by Kuet Registrar Md Anisur Rahman Bhuiyan stated that, based on the decision of the 101st emergency syndicate meeting held on April 14, all academic activities would resume from May 4, and residential halls would reopen on May 2.
Prior to this, students had begun protesting and staging sit-ins on campus from April 13, demanding the reopening of the halls.
As the authorities fixed May 2 as the reopening date, students forcibly entered six male halls by breaking the locks on April 15 after spending two nights under the open sky.
On the night of April 22, female students similarly broke the lock of Rokeya Hall and entered.
Currently, all halls at Kuet are occupied by students.
Meanwhile, during a press briefing on April 23, the Kuet Teachers’ Association announced they will not accept the removal of the vice-chancellor unless any wrongdoing is proven.
Otherwise, they would indefinitely suspend academic activities.
Despite the reopening of academic activities on May 4, teachers have continued their class boycott.
