The recent events at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) are taking an alarming turn. A local individual, allegedly affiliated with a political party, has filed a case against KUET students, and, additionally, the university administration has temporarily rusticated 37 students in its latest syndicate meeting. Being cornered externally and internally, the students have condensed their initial six-point demand into a single one: The resignation of the Vice Chancellor. Now, all eyes are on KUET, the only campus that has witnessed bloodshed and violent unrest since the fall of the fascist regime, for demanding a politics-free environment.
Back in February, KUET students were brutally attacked by alleged local BNP supporters, leaving many seriously injured. Despite the violence, the administration remained silent. With no institutional support, the students continued to protest for campus safety and justice. Instead of addressing their concerns, the administration abruptly shut down the campus. It remained closed for two months. As students returned to reclaim their dormitories and resume academic life, they were met not with support but with suspension, coincidentally right after the case was filed against them. In protest, students have broken into their dorms and are now actively demanding the sitting vice chancellor’s resignation.
Bangladesh’s public universities have long suffered from politically motivated appointments to key positions such as vice Chancellor, pro vice chancellors, and proctors. During the previous regime, appointing Awami League-backed administrators became common practice, something the interim government had promised to end. Unfortunately, that promise has yet to be realized. At KUET, the current vice chancellor is widely believed to be backed by BNP. While holding personal political beliefs is not inherently problematic, allowing those beliefs to influence institutional decisions is. So far, KUET’s administration has shown clear bias, imposing unjust suspensions and refusing to step down, actions that go directly against student interests.
Unlike the autonomous public universities like DU, JU, CU, and RU, KUET falls directly under government oversight. According to the University Ordinance 1973, only these four universities select their VC through senate election. For the rest of the public universities, including KUET; the chancellor, also known as the president of the country, selects the VCs with the consent of the prime minister themself. As the National Parliament is abolished for now, the chief adviser of the government, along with the president, is likely to have the right to appoint or dismiss the VC of any other public university.
However, even after having the authority to remove the VC of KUET, the interim government remains dramatically silent. This silence is deeply disheartening, especially when students of other campuses across the country are voicing solidarity with KUET students. The presence of student and teacher representatives in the current government makes this inaction even more disappointing. The silence raises a disturbing question: Who is this government really serving?
In 2022, students at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) protested for days demanding their VC’s resignation. Their efforts failed due to the political protection enjoyed by Farid Uddin under the Awami League regime. But KUET’s context is different. Less than a year after the largest student uprising in Bangladesh’s recent history, the July Revolution, the country is once again witnessing state-backed brutality and administrative apathy. People had hoped for reform, for a break from the past. Instead, KUET has exposed the harsh truth: despite the promises of a new era, politics continues to overpower students' voices.
The July Revolution instilled hope -- hope for depoliticized campuses, administrative accountability, and a truly democratic Bangladesh. But KUET now stands as a brutal reality check. It reflects a Bangladesh that has not changed, where political loyalty trumps justice. The question is evident: Will this country ever value the blood, sweat, and tears of its students over the survival of its political puppets?
As I write this, KUET students have declared a hunger strike until death if the VC does not resign within 24 hours. We do not yet know how this story will end. Will KUET achieve a hard-fought victory like BUET in 2019? Or will it be another lost battle, like SUST in 2022? One thing is certain: If the students fail this time, the dream of a new Bangladesh may fade into a myth.
It is time we all stand with KUET, beyond politics, beyond affiliations. Because if justice is denied here, every campus in Bangladesh could become another KUET. Sooner or later.
ASM Kamrul Islam is a faculty member of Green University of Bangladesh.
