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Students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have vowed to continue their blockade until newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam resigns.
The protesters said on Monday that they would allow the vice-chancellor to leave the campus safely if he submitted his resignation letter or publicly announced his resignation.
Otherwise, they would continue to keep him confined inside the university’s administrative building.
The students reiterated their one-point demand for the reinstatement of former vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem, who was removed from the post on September 21, just 56 days after his appointment.
Professor Shariful Alam, who was appointed as Sayem’s replacement on the same day, entered his office on Monday morning by breaking a lock on the administrative building, according to reports.
His arrival triggered fresh tensions as protesting students gathered outside the building and subsequently locked its entrance from the outside.
The protesters also disconnected the building’s electricity and water supplies, leaving the vice-chancellor and several others inside.
The students alleged that the new vice-chancellor entered the campus with the assistance of outsiders despite the ongoing shutdown.
They said they did not recognise him as the university’s vice-chancellor and would continue their movement until their demand was met.
The protest began after the government replaced Professor Sayem with Professor Shariful Alam. Since September 22, students have been boycotting classes and examinations and enforcing a complete shutdown of the university.
Teachers, officers and employees have also joined the movement, announcing an all-out non-cooperation programme and work stoppage in protest against the latest developments.
The prolonged dispute has brought academic and administrative activities at CUET to a standstill for around three weeks, with no immediate resolution in sight.