Faculty Questions Legality As Campus Shutdown Enters 23rd Day
CUET VC Calls Syndicate Meeting Via SMS After Hospital Discharge
- VC Prof. Sheikh Shariful Alam calls virtual syndicate meet from Circuit House after discharge
- Senior faculty protests bypassing Registrar’s office to convene statutory body via text
- Campus gridlock persists following 30-hour confinement over removal of previous vice-chancellor
Following his discharge from Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) after a 30-hour confinement by protesting students, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sheikh Shariful Alam has relocated to the Chattogram Circuit House and called a virtual syndicate meeting. However, convening the university's apex policymaking body solely through mobile phone text messages—without a formal statutory notice from the Registrar’s Office—has provoked sharp criticism and pushback from senior faculty and syndicate members.
Discharged from CMCH on Thursday afternoon, 15 October 2026, the vice-chancellor took shelter at the Circuit House and promptly issued SMS notices to syndicate members, scheduling a virtual session for Friday, 16 October, at 6:00 PM.
Syndicate member and Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Kazi Delowar Hossain strongly objected to the procedure, asserting that institutional statutes strictly mandate official notifications to originate from the Registrar’s Directorate. He questioned the procedural validity of convening the apex council via unilateral phone messages. Concurrently, syndicate member and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning Prof. Md. Rashidul Hasan confirmed receipt of the text summons but noted that his current leave status left his participation in the virtual proceeding uncertain.
The administrative crisis stems from a 21 September directive by the Ministry of Education that removed incumbent Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem and installed Prof. Sheikh Shariful Alam. Rejecting the executive order, general students enforced a continuous "complete shutdown" on 22 September, boycotting all academic classes and examinations to demand Prof. Sayem's reinstatement. The strike escalated into a total institutional standstill as the CUET Teachers' Association, Officers' Association, and Staff Association declared concurrent work stoppages, freezing all university operations for the past 23 consecutive days.
The stalemate escalated on Monday, 12 October, when the vice-chancellor reportedly broke administrative locks accompanied by political student affiliates to access his office. Protesting students swiftly mobilized outside the facility, severing water and electrical connections while locking the outer gates. Following a 30-hour siege, local administration and district police negotiated his evacuation on Tuesday evening, admitting him to CMCH for emergency medical attention. Campus tensions remain acute as faculty and student bodies reiterate their pledge to sustain the shutdown until the vice-chancellor steps down and the previous administration is restored, official sources confirmed.
//DBTech/CRH/SMP/MIST//
