CUET remains shut for 3rd day as students send open letter to PM

Students at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) continued their “shutdown” for a third consecutive day on Thursday, demanding the reinstatement of Professor Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem as the university’s vice-chancellor.

As part of the programme, students held a human chain at the Central Shaheed Minar premises on campus around 11:45am.

During the programme, the students demanded the withdrawal of two government notifications—one removing Professor Sayem from the vice-chancellor’s post and the other appointing a new vice-chancellor. They displayed placards bearing slogans such as, “Who is the VC? Who is the VC? Who else but Sayem Sir?”, “Let the streets roar, let Sayem Sir return,” and “We have only one demand: Sayem Sir must be VC.”

Mustafa Khalid Bin Shams Arian, a fourth-year student of CUET, read out an open letter addressed to the prime minister.

In the letter, the students said they had been staying away from classes, examinations and laboratory work for days because of the ongoing movement. They said the disruption had created uncertainty over their academic activities, internships, scholarship applications, preparations for higher education and career plans.

The students claimed that the notification removing the vice-chancellor did not mention any reason for the “sudden change.” They said their objection was not directed at the newly appointed vice-chancellor personally or at his qualifications. Rather, they said they wanted continuity in the trust that had developed between students and Professor Sayem and in initiatives related to education, research, higher studies and student opportunities that had begun under his leadership.

The students said in the letter that their current action was neither a holiday nor a celebration. They said it was causing academic losses, concern among their families, anxiety about their future and the pressure of falling further behind each day. However, they said they would continue the programme until their demand was met.

“We have no personal position against the person who has recently been appointed. We want Professor Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem Sir reinstated as the vice-chancellor of CUET,” the students said.

They also called for a quick resolution to the crisis and the restoration of normal academic activities at the university.

In the open letter, the students said they wanted to return to their classes, laboratories and examination halls once their demand was fulfilled. They called for an end to the prolonged uncertainty through Professor Sayem’s reinstatement as vice-chancellor.

Professor Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, of CUET’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, took charge as vice-chancellor on July 27.

On September 21, he was relieved of the post, and Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) was appointed as the new vice-chancellor.

Students began protesting on campus that night against the decision to change the vice-chancellor just 56 days after his appointment. They later announced the shutdown programme demanding Professor Sayem’s reinstatement.

The shutdown began on Tuesday, with students boycotting classes and examinations. After observing the programme for a second day on Wednesday, students continued the protest for a third day on Thursday, closing the campus’s main gate and holding the human chain inside the campus.