Academic and administrative operations at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) remained halted for 14th consecutive day as students, faculty, officers, and employees continued their movement demanding the reinstatement of vice-chancellor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.
Alongside the ongoing campus-wide shutdown, teachers, officers, and staff observed work abstention and held a human chain programme.
On Monday, members of the CUET Teachers, Officers, and Employees Associations staged a work abstention from 11am, sitting in front of the locked vice-chancellor’s building.
Later at 12:30pm, they brought out a rally from the VC building premises, which marched past Swadhinata Chattar and concluded at the university’s Central Shaheed Minar.
Speaking after the rally, Cuet Controller of Examinations Md Moinul Islam said the human chain was part of their ongoing demonstration demanding the reinstatement of Sayem as vice-chancellor.
Urging the government to act so that students’ academic lives are not delayed, he emphasized that their protests remain strictly non-violent, involving no vandalism or road blockades, and requested the government to accept their demand and restore a proper classroom environment.
On World Teachers’ Day, students presented red roses to Cuet faculty members who have supported their movement since its inception.
Zulkarnain Mihad, a final-year student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, noted that on a day meant to be spent in classrooms, students were forced to remain in sit-in programmes on the 14th day of protests.
He added that students joined the sit-in alongside teachers, officers, and staff to express solidarity and demand a swift resolution to the crisis.
The stalemate stems from 21 September, when Sayem was removed from office just 56 days after assuming duty as vice-chancellor, and Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) was appointed in his place.
Protests erupted on the day of the replacement, followed by a “complete shutdown” programme launched on 22 September.
Over the past two weeks, students have staged various demonstrations, including red card displays, torch processions, and mask rallies, but the deadlock at Cuet persists as no solution has been reached.
