Teachers, officers and staff members of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have announced an all-out non-cooperation programme alongside their ongoing work abstention, demanding the removal of newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam and the reinstatement of his predecessor, Professor Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem.
The announcement came on Monday afternoon following heightened tensions on the campus after Professor Shariful entered his office for the first time since the protests began, accompanied by leaders of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
At a press conference held at the university auditorium, CUET Teachers’ Association President Professor Mohammad Ahsan Ullah announced the decision on behalf of the Teachers’ Association, Officers’ Association and Staff Association. He said the organisations would not cooperate with the new vice-chancellor in carrying out administrative activities until their demands were met.
The associations condemned the VC’s entry into the office in the presence of people they described as outsiders. They also demanded an investigation into allegations that two buses carrying students towards the campus from the city had come under attack.
Professor Ahsan Ullah said 15 examinations had already been missed and classes had remained suspended for 13 days. He added that the university community was concerned about the alleged attacks and urged the government to resolve the crisis promptly.
The situation escalated earlier in the day when Professor Shariful arrived on the campus by a microbus at around 9:00am. Students began gathering outside the vice-chancellor’s building around 9:30am and gave him an ultimatum to leave his office by noon.
After the deadline passed, protesting students locked the building’s entrance from outside, leaving the VC and several JCD leaders inside. The protesters also said they had disconnected the building’s electricity supply.
Accounts differ over how the office was opened. Students alleged that Professor Shariful broke the padlock they had placed on the building before entering. University sources also said he entered with JCD leaders. JCD leaders confirmed their presence in the office, although accounts of the sequence of events differed.
The protesters said their movement was directed against the government’s decision to replace the former vice-chancellor rather than against the newly appointed professor personally.
The dispute began on September 21, when the Ministry of Education removed Professor Sayem, only 56 days after his appointment on July 27, and appointed Professor Shariful, formerly associated with Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), as his replacement.
Students launched a complete shutdown on September 22, demanding Professor Sayem’s reinstatement. Teachers, officers and staff members subsequently joined the work abstention, bringing academic and administrative activities to a standstill.
The latest non-cooperation announcement has deepened uncertainty over when classes and examinations will resume. Teachers have said they are preparing measures to prevent further academic delays once normal activities return.
With students maintaining their protest and university employees refusing to cooperate with the new vice-chancellor, the immediate challenge remains resolving the leadership dispute and restoring normal academic activities at CUET.