CUET VC says he will return to campus after recovery

Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam has said he will return to the campus and resume his duties after recovering from illness.

The government has also advised him to recover quickly and return to the university.

He made the remarks while receiving treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on Wednesday morning (October 14).

Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam said he had been subjected to inhumane conditions while being confined inside CUET. During the ordeal, he experienced severe pain in his chest and head. He was later admitted to hospital with the administration’s assistance.

A specialised medical board has been formed to oversee his treatment. The board will assess his physical condition and provide a detailed update, he said. Once he recovers, he intends to resume his responsibilities at the university.

Dismissing reports that he had resigned or would never return to the CUET campus, the vice-chancellor said the claims were baseless. He had made no statement or issued any announcement suggesting that he would resign or stay away from the campus in the future.

He said his physical condition had been too poor for him to speak when he was taken from the campus to hospital. Urging journalists to verify information and maintain objectivity before publishing such reports, he added that the government had assured him of its support and advised him to return to campus once he had recovered.

Addressing the protesting students, the vice-chancellor urged them not to jeopardise their academic careers. He also cautioned them against being manipulated by vested-interest groups.

He said he had joined CUET to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to him by the state, adding that neither personal interests nor the implementation of any political party’s agenda was his objective.
Earlier, the vice-chancellor and 10 others were rescued from CUET’s administrative building at around 6pm on Tuesday (October 13), after being confined there for nearly 30 hours.

They were rescued in the presence of Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia and Superintendent of Police Mohammad Masud Alam. The vice-chancellor was subsequently taken from the campus to Chittagong Medical College Hospital by ambulance under heavy police security.

The incident began on the morning of Monday (October 12), when the newly appointed vice-chancellor, accompanied by outsiders, broke the lock on the main gate of CUET’s administrative building and entered the premises.

In protest, students leading the movement gave him until noon to leave his office. When he failed to do so, they locked the building’s gate again around 12:30pm, leaving the vice-chancellor and others inside confined. They were later rescued following the administration’s intervention.