CUET students hold 'red card' protest against new VC

Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam, newly appointed vice-chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), has faced a ‘red card’ programme staged by agitating students in protest against his online joining.

They observed the programme through a protest procession on the campus at noon on Saturday (September 26). At the same time, the students also demanded the reinstatement of immediate past vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.

Earlier from the morning, the agitators put up protest graffiti and wall writings at various places on the campus. In the programme that began around 11am, various statements and slogans were raised protesting the decision to appoint the new vice-chancellor. Protest messages including ‘Can the door be opened by issuing a farman?’ and ‘We are the one’ featured in the graffiti.

Later in the afternoon, the students holding red cards in their hands marched through various roads of the campus and gathered at the central Shaheed Minar area. There they chanted slogans including ‘Red card to online VC’ and ‘We do not accept online VC’. The students claimed they are not accepting the new vice-chancellor who joined online.

Civil Engineering Department fourth-year student Sakibur Rahman said the new vice-chancellor described their movement as one of 30 to 35 people. But he claimed hundreds of students from various halls are spontaneously taking part in the programme. He also said the students are rejecting the vice-chancellor’s statement and the online joining.

Student movement has been continuing at CUET for the past few days over the change of vice-chancellor. The agitators have been observing shutdown programmes demanding the reinstatement of former vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem. Newly appointed vice-chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam assumed charge on September 25 but could not enter the campus due to the students’ movement.

Meanwhile, teachers and officials are also going on work stoppage in solidarity with the students’ programme. The teachers’ association has announced an all-out work stoppage. The officials’ organisation has also announced a similar programme. As a result, there is a risk of further increase in the stalemate in Cuet’s academic and administrative activities.

The shutdown programme has been continuing for the fifth consecutive day at CUET due to the students’ movement. On Saturday also they reasserted their demand through the new programme. On the other hand, the work stoppage decision of the university’s teachers, officials and employees has made the situation more complicated.