Protests paralyse CUET over VC replacement

Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) has been effectively shut down as students protest the government’s decision to replace vice-chancellor (VC) Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem after 56 days in office.

The protest continued on Tuesday, with teachers also holding a human chain demonstration outside the vice-chancellor’s residence in the afternoon.

Students shut the university’s main gate from inside on Tuesday morning and began a “shutdown” programme, demanding Sayem’s reinstatement.

They also shouted slogans in support of the former VC.

On Monday, Sheikh Shariful Alam, a professor of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), was appointed as CUET’s new VC.

Sayem, a professor of CUET’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, had taken charge on Jul 27.

Students began protesting on Monday night after learning that he had been removed and replaced. Around 10:30pm, students began a procession from the campus’s Swadhinata Chattar.

Female students also joined the march after coming out of their residential halls.

Around midnight, they locked the administrative building. A note attached to the lock read: “Only Sayem Sir can open this lock.”�"bdnews24