KUET VC, Pro-VC resign amid student protests
Amid ongoing student protests, the Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Professor Dr Mohammad Mashud, and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr SK Shariful Alam, have resigned from their posts.
They submitted their resignation letters to the Ministry of Education on Wednesday night (April 23), according to an official from the Scholarship and Engineering Section of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, who confirmed the information to Jago News on condition of anonymity.
He said that despite all the steps taken by the government, when the issue could not be resolved, the Ministry requested the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor to consider the matter. Following this, they submitted their resignations.
The official further stated that, as per regulations, the resignation letters will be sent to the office of the Chancellor of the university, who is the President. The resignations will be effective once they are accepted by the President.
Earlier, around 1:00 am on Thursday, in a press release issued by Md Mamun-or-Rashid, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it was stated that, in light of recent events at KUET, steps have been initiated to relieve the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of their duties to resolve the ongoing crisis and resume academic activities without delay.
A search committee will be formed promptly to appoint successors for both positions.
Additionally, to ensure the regular functioning of the university during this period, a senior professor will be temporarily assigned the responsibilities of Vice-Chancellor, as per the Ministry of Education.
On February 18, more than fifty people were injured in a violent clash between activists of the Chhatra Dal and Juba Dal, local residents, and students at KUET, amid disputes over demands to ban student politics. Following the incident, the academic council declared the suspension of all academic activities and the closure of residential halls for an indefinite period during a syndicate meeting held on February 25.
Defying the administration’s directive, students re-entered the closed KUET campus on April 13.
Subsequently, at the 101st emergency syndicate meeting held on the night of April 14, university authorities temporarily suspended 37 students in connection with the February 18 and 19 violence at KUET.
In response to these incidents, 29 protesting students began a hunger strike unto death at 4:00 pm on April 22, demanding the removal of the Vice-Chancellor.
