CU students protest demanding resignation of administration officials including vice chancellor

Students and activists of various student organisations staged protests at Chittagong University (CU) last night (1 September), demanding the resignation of the vice chancellor and other officials of the university administration over their failure to ensure campus security as violent clashes took place between students and local residents.

The protests took place in front of the university's administrative building, where demonstrators defied Section 144 (a law prohibiting public gatherings) enforced on the campus and surrounding areas.

Around 7pm, leaders of the Democratic Student Council and other leftist student groups began their protest at the university's Shaheed Minar. Simultaneously, CU unit activists of Chhatra Dal marched from the Zero Point area to the administrative building via Shaheed Minar, joining forces with the earlier gathering. The protests continued until around 9pm.

The protesting groups included activists from the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (BNP's student wing), Democratic Student Council, and several left-leaning student organisations. They announced plans to hold a united demonstration at 11am today, further escalating their demand for the administration's resignation.

Protesters accused the university administration of gross negligence, claiming it failed to act in time to prevent or control the violence. They also criticised Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Yahya Akhter for reportedly expresssing satisfaction over getting phone calls from government and security officials, including the home adviser, but he did not take any measure to control the situation.

According to them, the VC continued to chair a recruitment board meeting while violent clashes were ongoing nearby.

The clashes reportedly began late Saturday night when a security guard slapped a female student for returning late to her rented accommodation near Gate No. 2 of the campus. The incident triggered a confrontation between students and local residents that quickly escalated into large-scale violence.

Over 50 people were injured in the initial clashes, which resumed the following morning. Among the injured were the pro-vice chancellor, the proctor, faculty members, and several students. Attackers reportedly used homemade weapons. According to the university administration, between 400 and 500 people were injured during the unrest.

In response to the violence, the local administration imposed Section 144 in and around the CU campus from Sunday afternoon until midnight today (2 September).