Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam has called a syndicate meeting for Friday evening after returning to the Circuit House following treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The meeting is scheduled for 6pm and will be held virtually, according to university syndicate members.
Professor Md Rashidul Hasan, dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning and a syndicate member, confirmed the meeting, saying he was on leave and unsure whether he would be able to attend.
Another syndicate member, Professor Kazi Delwar Hossain, dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said he had received a message about the meeting but questioned whether convening it through a message complied with university rules.
“Usually, the meeting notice comes through the registrar,” he said.
The vice-chancellor returned to the Circuit House on Thursday after receiving treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Earlier, on Tuesday evening, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia and Superintendent of Police Masud Alam rescued him from the university’s administrative building, where he had been confined for around 30 hours. He was subsequently taken to the hospital.
Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam was appointed Cuet vice-chancellor on 21 September, replacing Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.
Protesting the appointment, students launched a “complete shutdown” programme on 22 September. Teachers, officers and employees also began work abstentions over the same demand, bringing classes, examinations and other academic activities to a halt.
Amid the protests, the vice-chancellor entered the campus around 9am on Monday and broke the lock on his office with the help of Chhatra Dal leaders.
Students began gathering in front of the building around 9:30am and gave him an ultimatum to leave his office by noon.
They later locked the building’s entrance and disconnected its electricity supply, leaving 11 people, including the vice-chancellor, trapped inside.
On Tuesday, the vice-chancellor said he was feeling unwell. Two doctors subsequently visited the building to examine him.
He and the other people trapped inside were rescued on Tuesday evening through the intervention of the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police.
The vice-chancellor was then admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment.
