New DUET VC joins amid student protests

Professor Mohammad Iqbal formally assumed office as Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology on Thursday despite ongoing protests and a campus shutdown enforced by a section of students.

He entered the campus under tight security and later exchanged views with teachers and staff before beginning official duties.

The campus remained largely quiet as weekly and Eid holidays began from Friday, with most students already leaving residential halls.

The newly appointed VC said he had been performing administrative responsibilities since Sunday and had already signed over 100 official documents, including salary and leave approvals.

He also expressed willingness to hold discussions with protesting students to resolve the crisis.
Student protesters, however, continued their agitation demanding cancellation of his appointment and insisting that the vice-chancellor should be selected from among DUET’s current teachers.

Earlier, demonstrators enforced blockade and “red card” programmes that disrupted academic and administrative activities on the campus.

The protests began after the government appointed Professor Mohammad Iqbal, a teacher from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, as the new VC of DUET.