Protesting students at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) have rejected attempts to exploit their ongoing movement for political gain, insisting that their campaign is solely aimed at reinstating former vice-chancellor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.
In a video message released on Thursday, the students distanced themselves from statements issued in the name of political support, saying they had neither sought nor authorised such backing.
They said their single-point demand was to reconsider the decision on the vice-chancellor’s appointment, revoke the relevant gazette notification and reinstate Sayem.
The protesters rejected attempts to portray their movement as anti-government or anti-state, stressing that it was not intended to bring any political party to power, remove anyone from office or campaign against the government.
They specifically objected to statements of support published on a Facebook page named “Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal”.
The students said they had not requested such support and had authorised no individual or organisation to represent their movement.
Recalling the July movement, they said memories of violence, repression and loss of life remained deeply painful. They demanded an impartial trial over those incidents and accountability for those responsible.
The protesters said their struggle for democratic rights and freedom of expression must not be used for political advantage, reiterating that their movement was neither affiliated with any political party nor a platform for political campaigning.
Seeking an acceptable resolution to the continuing crisis, they urged the Prime Minister and the President to intervene directly, hear their concerns and take swift, effective action.
The video message featured Arindam Dey, a fourth-year student, and Mohammad Ratul Islam, a third-year student, both from the Department of Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering.
Other participants were Mahtab Haq, a fourth-year student from the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Mahedur Rahman Osmani, a fourth-year student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Rakibul Razzak Pranto, a third-year student from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The students urged all concerned not to turn their protest into a source of political division, pledging to continue their movement peacefully and democratically until their demand is met.
