CUET protesters call for VC’s reinstatement

Students who are protesting at Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have urged the prime minister to step in and reinstate Prof Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem as vice-chancellor.
They made the appeal on Saturday at a protest march on the campus, calling for an expeditious end to the stalemate.

The march began at 2:30pm from the Shaheed Minar, went around Swadhinata Chattar and returned to the starting point.

The students demanded an end to the deadlock, Prof Sayem’s reinstatement and a return to a normal academic environment, and sought the intervention of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

They carried a banner reading, “We seek the honourable prime minister’s intervention to end the deadlock at CUET.”

Placards also read, “Prime minister’s intervention to reopen CUET”, “CUET revolts for Sayem sir” and “PM, consider our appeal”.

A third-year student said after the procession that they had been campaigning for Prof Sayem’s reinstatement and were frustrated by the administration’s silence.

“All our classes and exams are suspended because of the movement. We seek the prime minister’s intervention. We want him to take steps to resolve our problems quickly. We want to return to our classes,” the student said.

Students have already held torch processions, displayed red cards and staged protests with black cloth covering their eyes as part of their campaign.

All academic activities, including classes and exams, have been suspended since Sept 22.
Sayem, a professor of mechanical engineering at CUET, took charge as vice-chancellor on Jul 27.

He was relieved on Sept 21, and Prof Sheikh Shariful Alam of the electronics and communication engineering department at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) was named his replacement.

Students began protesting on campus that night, 56 days into Prof Sayem’s tenure, against the change.
They later announced a shutdown demanding his reinstatement.