CU halts teacher’s promotion after protesters lock in VC, top officials

Chittagong University (CU) authorities halted the promotion of Assistant Professor Kushal Baran Chakraborty on Friday (4 July) following student protests, during which the vice chancellor and several top officials were confined inside the administrative building for nearly two hours. 

Students objected to Chakraborty's promotion, citing his alleged involvement in controversial activities and a pending attempted murder case. 

In response to the escalating situation, CU's acting registrar Professor Mohammad Saiful Islam, told The Business Standard that Kushal Baran's promotion board has been withdrawn. 

"Sensitive reports about him have appeared in the media. Considering the situation, the board was cancelled."

In this regard, CU Vice Chancellor Professor Md Yahya Akhtar said, "The university administration cannot function as a court. We cannot sentence or fine anyone. That's beyond our authority. However, the investigation committees we've formed are working on this."

What happened at the VC office

At around 2:30pm, students staged a demonstration in front of the vice chancellor's office. By 3:30pm, they had locked the administrative building, confining VC Yahya, two pro-vice chancellors, and other administrative officials. 

The protesters unlocked the building around 5pm after the promotion board was cancelled.

They alleged that despite being linked to several controversies and named in an attempted murder case, Assistant Professor Kushal was under consideration for promotion. 

They claimed that the case, filed on 8 December after an attack on Hefazat-e-Islam supporter Enamul Haque Chowdhury near Chattogram Court on 26 November, listed Kushal as the 20th accused among 164.

One of the protesters who was at the VC's office Habibullah Khaled, human resource development secretary of Chhatra Shibir, said, "We do not want to see fascist collaborators like Kushal on campus. We've submitted our demands to the administration, and they have given us their assurance."

Monayem Sharif, a student of the Public Administration Department, said, "Kushal has spread anti-Bangladesh propaganda internationally. Promoting him would mean encouraging enemies of the state."

Contacted, Assistant Professor Kushal condemned the protests, denying the allegations brought against him.

"My promotion had earlier been stalled for a year and a half. Now that the date finally came, false propaganda and rumours were spread. Can anyone prove there's a case against me? 

"Just because someone falsely accuses me, does that mean a case exists? Is it even documented? I wasn't even in Chattogram on the day of the incident. Even the police realised that and didn't accept the case. What happened today is deeply unjust and unacceptable for a university," he further said.