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Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam has reported feeling unwell while remaining confined inside an administrative building, but a university doctor said his blood pressure and pulse were normal.
The newly appointed VC has been confined to Administrative Building-2 since Monday noon (October 12). By Tuesday afternoon, he had spent around 27 hours in the building without electricity, along with 11 other teachers and students.
CUET Medical Centre physician Dr Md Shahabuddin examined the VC at around 1:00pm on Tuesday.
“His pulse and blood pressure are normal. He did not complain of any pain. He only asked me to check his blood pressure and pulse,” the doctor said, adding that the VC’s blood pressure was 120/80.
The doctor said the VC did not take regular medication but occasionally used medicine for high blood pressure. He advised him to take it if his blood pressure rose. The VC told him only that he was feeling uncomfortable because of the confinement, the doctor added.
Earlier, Sheikh Shariful Alam had said he was suffering from a severe headache and feeling physically unwell after being confined for an extended period. He also said he could not sleep the previous night and that others inside the building were experiencing various health problems.
The newly appointed VC entered the campus on Monday morning after breaking the lock of Administrative Building-2. Upon learning of his arrival, protesting students gave him and his associates until noon to leave the building.
As they did not leave within the deadline, the protesters locked the main gate and disconnected the electricity supply.
Two former CUET students fell ill on Monday night after spending an extended period inside the building without electricity. One of them was rescued and admitted to Evercare Hospital in Chattogram.
The protesters have said they will not unlock the building until the VC resigns.
Civil engineering student Ijaz Mahmud Khan said the VC would remain confined until he stepped down. He claimed the VC had been given sufficient time to leave voluntarily, adding that the protesters had nevertheless delivered breakfast to those inside.
Meanwhile, CUET students currently in Dhaka have called a protest rally at Shahbagh at 4:00pm on Tuesday to demand a resolution to the university crisis and protest attacks on students. Students from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) have also issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with the CUET protesters.
The standoff has brought normal activities at CUET to a halt and heightened tensions nearly three weeks after Sheikh Shariful Alam was appointed vice-chancellor. The protesting students are demanding the reinstatement of former VC Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.
