The administration has rescued 11 people, including confined Vice Chancellor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet), from the campus on Tuesday evening.
They were rescued in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah and Superintendent of Police Md Masud Alam, before being taken away under heavy police guard. The agitating students released the vice chancellor from confinement on the condition that he would not enter the campus again.
Earlier at around 5:20pm, the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police entered the Cuet campus. Regarding the rescue, Zahidul said, “A respected teacher asked us for security and mentioned medical treatment. We have come to take him. He will be admitted to hospital.”
The deputy commissioner subsequently spoke with the students. Speaking on behalf of the agitating students, Ahnaf Shahriar Ornob and Galib, fourth-year students of the Mechanical Engineering department at Cuet, raised questions with the administration regarding student safety and the ongoing situation on campus.
Ornob said, “The highest-level administration officials of Chittagong are present here. We want to know, when will you be here for our security? Have you come only to take out the vice chancellor who entered the campus with expelled terrorists?
“Are we students not like your children?”
He added, “Without coming to campus, he had started harassing and threatening our teachers in various ways. When these reached us, as students, we could not accept this disrespect towards teachers.
“Then he went a step further and, using administrative power, stopped the salaries and allowances of officers and employees alongside teachers. At this stage, we no longer wanted to see him on this campus.”
Following their discussion with the students, the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police entered the building and conducted a search, bringing out a total of 11 individuals including the vice-chancellor.
They were then taken away under heavy police escort.
According to the protesting students, the vice chancellor was allowed to be taken away strictly on the condition that he would not step foot on the Cuet campus again.
Ultimatum and ongoing stalemate
Students at Cuet have been protesting since 21 September, demanding the reinstatement of former Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem. Although Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam was appointed as the new Vice Chancellor amidst the movement, the students remained firm in their demand.
On Monday (12 October) morning, after entering the campus, the protesters gave the vice chancellor an ultimatum to resign. As he did not resign within the stipulated time, he was confined inside Administrative Building-2.
The situation, which lasted for nearly two days, came to an end on Tuesday evening when 11 people, including the vice chancellor, were taken out of the campus in the presence of the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police.
A stalemate over the appointment of the vice chancellor has been ongoing at Cuet for several weeks. Alongside the students, the Teachers’ Association, Officers’ Association, and Staff Association have also been carrying out various programmes, which have disrupted educational and administrative activities at the university.
Commenting on the issue, Superintendent of Police Md Masud Alam told TIMES of Bangladesh: “We did not rescue the vice chancellor under any condition. Students had various demands. We said the vice chancellor is ill, so we are taking him for treatment.
“And we said – if they have demands, to submit them in writing, which we will convey to the government.”
Masud added that the vice chancellor was being taken to Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Hospital, where he would receive treatment.
