CUET Stalemate Deepens as Students Stand Firm

The leadership crisis at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) shows little sign of easing, with students maintaining their opposition to the newly appointed vice-chancellor and demanding the reinstatement of former Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem. Disagreement over an alleged condition that a vice-chancellor would not return to campus, alongside allegations of political influence in the appointment process, has further complicated the situation. The students’ account of the alleged agreement remains a claim that requires independent verification.

Ahnaf Shahriar Arnab, a fourth-year student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said the vice-chancellor had been told that he would not be allowed to return to campus after leaving and had agreed to the condition. According to Arnab, the condition was announced three times over a public-address system in the presence of the district administrator, journalists, the vice-chancellor and his associates. He claimed that they heard the condition, along with other terms, and signalled silent agreement by nodding before leaving the campus with the district administrator.

However, the sequence of events reported by Samakal raises an important question about precisely who left the campus and under what circumstances. A report published on 1 October said Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem was removed from the vice-chancellor’s post on 21 September and replaced by Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam. It also reported that the newly appointed vice-chancellor had been unable to enter the campus amid protests and was carrying out official duties from Chattogram Circuit House. The identity of the person involved in the alleged agreement and the circumstances surrounding the claim therefore need to be established. 

Students reject the prospect of a return

Asked about the new vice-chancellor’s reported intention to return with the confidence of the university community, Arnab said students would not accept his return. He said many students had gone home for the Puja holiday, but those remaining on campus were continuing to resist his entry. He added that the students’ position would become clearer when others returned after the holiday.

Arnab said the students’ position was unequivocal: the new vice-chancellor would not be allowed back on campus. The confrontation has raised concerns about whether the university can restore normal academic and administrative operations without a negotiated resolution.

Shutdown to continue through the holiday

Arnab said students had become exhausted after 23 consecutive days of protest. Nevertheless, he said the full shutdown would continue during the Puja holiday. With most students expected to leave campus, security and monitoring at the university’s main gate might operate on a reduced scale.

On concerns that the prolonged movement was delaying academic activities, Arnab said students hoped the government would issue a new notification supporting their demands during the holiday. Even if no notification was issued, he said they planned to resume academic activities after the break—but without the newly appointed vice-chancellor.

He warned that if the new vice-chancellor attempted to enter the campus without the students’ demands being met, they would mobilise the support of around 5,000 students and mount a stronger protest to prevent his entry.

‘A safe exit, not a compromise’

Mohammad Jahangir Alam Jony, a third-year student in CUET’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said the students had not intended to disrespect anyone. Their objective, he said, was to establish justice and accountability at the university.

Jony said the vice-chancellor had been allowed to leave safely on humanitarian grounds, not as part of a compromise. “He was allowed to leave on the condition that he would not return to campus. If he now tries to return while ignoring that condition, the responsibility cannot be placed on the students,” he said.

Jony added that the shutdown and boycott of classes and examinations would continue until Professor Dr. Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem was reinstated. The protesters’ central demand therefore remains the reinstatement of the former vice-chancellor and opposition to the current appointment.

Leadership change after 56 days triggered protests

According to Samakal’s 1 October report, Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem took office as CUET vice-chancellor on 27 July. On 21 September, he was removed and Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam, formerly associated with Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), was appointed in his place. The decision to change the university’s leadership after just 56 days prompted protests. From 22 September, students maintained a shutdown and boycotted classes and examinations. Subsequent reports also described participation by the teachers’ association and some university officers and employees. 

Political influence allegations and differing responses

Samakal’s report also examined allegations of local political involvement in the vice-chancellor appointment and divisions among university teachers. It discussed contacts between former vice-chancellor Sayem and local lawmaker Gias Uddin Quader Chowdhury and Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. It also referred to contacts between some teachers and Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin. The existence of such contacts, however, does not by itself establish political alignment, and the people named offered differing accounts. 

Speaking to Samakal, Gias Uddin Quader Chowdhury said several teachers and students had tried to contact him about CUET. He said he had advised them to discuss the matter with Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. Referring to his family’s historical connection with the institution, he also said he had a responsibility to take an interest in whether the university was functioning properly.

State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, meanwhile, said he had not supported any particular candidate in the vice-chancellor appointment and was not aligned with either side. He said the government had made its decision and that it should be respected, adding that disagreements should be addressed through discussion. Their comments present a different perspective from the allegations of political influence raised in the report.

Samakal also reported controversy over a partial audio recording of an online meeting of the teachers’ association, in which several teachers were reportedly heard discussing the appointment and the future of the protests. The association later described the recording as a “fragmented and baseless portion” of an emergency general meeting lasting two and a half hours. Both the contents of the recording and the association’s response therefore need to be considered when assessing the allegations. 

Trust and accountability at the heart of the crisis

CUET’s crisis is no longer limited to deciding who should hold the vice-chancellor’s office. It has also raised questions about the legitimacy of the appointment, student confidence, divisions among teachers, continuity of administration and alleged political influence. Students say they will continue the shutdown until Sayem is reinstated, while the university also faces the challenge of restoring normal operations.

With classes and examinations disrupted for weeks, the risk of further delays to students’ education is growing. A lasting resolution will likely require transparent engagement among the parties, verification of competing claims and an administrative settlement that restores confidence in university governance and protects the continuity of teaching and research.

//DBTech/Md. Rakib Hasan/GEPR/SVP/MIST//