Students at the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) escalated their protests for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday, waving symbolic “red cards” and daubing walls with fiery graffiti to demand the reinstatement of former vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem.
The ongoing rebellion, which has completely paralysed the institution, gathered fresh momentum as undergraduates registered their fierce opposition to the online appointment and joining of the new vice-chancellor, Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam.
The campus was transformed into a canvas of dissent from mid-morning, with students painting vibrant murals and slogans across prominent university walls.
The artwork directly targeted the Ministry of Education’s abrupt decision to oust Professor Sayem just 56 days into his tenure. At noon, demonstrators gathered in unison to brandish red cards, formally rejecting the new leadership.
Mussarrat Tabassum Hridi, a third-year Urban and Regional Planning student, dismissed attempts to downplay the uprising:
“Calling our movement an initiative of only 30 to 35 students is an insult to everyone taking part. We are painting graffiti and displaying red cards in protest against such dismissive remarks. Our movement will continue until Professor Sayem is reinstated.”
Tahsin Ifaz, an Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, echoed the sentiment, describing the murals as the voice of the student body, “Graffiti is our language of protest.
We are questioning why our vice-chancellor was removed after merely 56 days, and we reject a replacement who was imposed against our explicit demands.”
Crisis deepens as teachers join walkout
The unrest erupted on the night of 21 September after the Ministry of Education issued a surprise notification removing Professor Sayem and appointing Professor Alam.
Students responded immediately with a total campus shutdown, suspending all classes and examinations while mounting mass sit-ins, human chains, signature drives, and night-time torchlit processions.
Although Professor Alam formally assumed his duties via an online joining process, the student body flatly rejected his authority.
The university now faces a total administrative and academic lockdown after the Cuet Teachers’ Association announced an all-out work abstention starting Sunday.
