KUET Uprising: Students End 57‑Hour Hunger Strike as Government Moves to Oust VC and Pro‑VC
Jubilant scenes erupted on the Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) campus early Thursday after word spread that the Ministry of Education had begun formal proceedings to remove Vice‑Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Masud and Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor Prof Dr Md Abdul Malek from office.
At 1:00 a.m. the 32 students who had been on a hunger strike since Monday afternoon broke their fast, ending a 57‑hour protest that had galvanized support across the country’s universities. Professor Saidur Rahman of BUET, a member of the University Grants Commission’s three‑person fact‑finding team, ceremonially offered water to the strikers, joined by fellow delegates Professor Tanzimuddin Khan of Dhaka University and Joint Secretary Ahmed Shibli of the Secondary and Higher Education Division.
“Alhamdulillah, truth never loses—this is our victory. The VC has not resigned; he has fallen,” students chanted before launching a spontaneous victory march through campus.
Chain of events
• 18 February: Clashes between Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists, KUET students and locals left over 100 injured.
• 25 February: The syndicate shut halls and academic activities indefinitely.
• 13 April: Defying the closure, students re‑entered the campus.
• 14 April: An emergency syndicate meeting temporarily expelled 37 students over the violence.
• 22 April: 32 students commenced an indefinite hunger strike demanding the VC’s removal.
Efforts by Education Adviser Dr C. R. Abrar and ministry officials on Wednesday to persuade the strikers to stand down failed. Solidarity rallies at Dhaka University, BUET and other institutions piled pressure on the government.
Late Wednesday night the Education Ministry announced it was relieving the VC and Pro‑VC, appointing the senior‑most professor as acting VC, and forming a search committee to select permanent successors.
With their primary demand met, students say classes can resume once the interim administration is in place, though they insist that disciplinary actions against the 37 suspended students also be reviewed.
