Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam, vice-chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), has been confined to his office for nearly 15 hours.
Students demanding the reinstatement of former vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sadaat Muhammad Sayem locked the main gate of the administrative building at around 12:30 pm on Monday, trapping him inside. At a press conference in the evening, the protesters demanded the current vice-chancellor’s resignation.
At 3:00 am on Tuesday, as this report was being written, students were still gathered in front of the administrative building. At around 1:30 am, reports emerged that someone inside the building had fallen ill.
Md Abdullah, a physician at CUET’s medical centre, went to the building, accompanied by journalists who also entered.
Abdullah checked the blood pressure of an engineer named Shahriar. He said Shahriar’s systolic blood pressure was 170 mmHg and his diastolic pressure was 100 mmHg. He subsequently advised that Shahriar be taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. The physician said another person had also fallen ill but was not taken to hospital.
Asked about his health, Vice-Chancellor Sheikh Shariful Alam told Prothom Alo that he was well.
“Two of our alumni members are suffering from complications related to high blood pressure. So I called an ambulance and a physician. Since everyone here has been confined for a long time, they are feeling unwell and exhausted,” he added.
On 21 September, Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam, previously at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), was appointed vice-chancellor of CUET. Students had already begun protesting the removal of Professor Abu Sadaat Muhammad Sayem and demanding his reinstatement.
Since 22 September, they have been enforcing a total shutdown. University teachers, officers and employees have also been observing a work stoppage in support of the same demand. As a result, classes, examinations and other academic activities have remained suspended for nearly three weeks.
The protesting students alleged that at around 9:00 am on Monday, the vice-chancellor broke the lock on the administrative building’s gate and entered his office accompanied by leaders and activists of the CUET unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the BNP’s student wing.
After learning of his arrival, the students gave him until noon to leave the building. When he failed to do so, they locked the main gate at around 12:30 pm.
The vice-chancellor was joined inside the building by CUET Chhatra Dal unit president Wasif Rashed and his associates, as well as several current and former students. According to the latest information available, between 10 and 11 people, including the vice-chancellor, remained confined inside.