DUET students declare complete shutdown, block new VC from entering campus

Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Professor Mohammad Iqbal, has been unable to enter the campus for five days as students declared a complete shutdown demanding a head from their own institution. 

The ongoing protests have brought all academic and administrative activities at the Gazipur-based university to a standstill.

The unrest began after the government issued a notification last Thursday appointing Professor Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as the new VC of DUET. 
Rejecting the decision, students have been staging relentless demonstrations, demanding that the position be filled by a faculty member from within DUET. 

Following a campus-wide blockade on Monday, Hasanur Rahman, a fourth-year civil engineering student representing the protesters, officially announced the complete shutdown on Tuesday until their demands are met.

Students held rallies and sit-in programs throughout Tuesday morning. Tensions escalated in the afternoon when rumors spread that the newly appointed VC was on his way to the campus. 

Hundreds of protesters immediately gathered at the locked main gate, chanting slogans against the appointment of an "outsider" and reiterating their demand for a homegrown leader. 

DUET Registrar Professor Abu Tayab confirmed that the official appointment process has been completed. 

Addressing the ongoing crisis, he stated that the administration is holding continuous discussions with the students to defuse the situation and expressed optimism that the deadlock would be resolved soon.

The current stalemate follows a violent episode on Sunday when a three-way clash erupted on campus, leaving over 18 students injured, including 12 who required immediate hospitalization. 

Protesters subsequently padlocked the university's main gate, creating a complete administrative bottleneck. In response to Sunday's violence, local police have filed a case against 200 to 250 unidentified individuals.