Kuet VC, pro-VC yet to resign, continue office works

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Muhammad Masud and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Pro-VC) Sheikh Shariful Alam of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) have not resigned yet from their positions.

At around 1am yesterday (24 April), a media statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the interim government has decided to relieve the Kuet VC and pro-VC from their duties in the face of growing student protests on various campuses across the country.

However, no notification has been issued by the ministry to remove them. Only the process of their removal has been initiated, multiple Kuet teachers and the VC and pro-VC themselves told The Business Standard last night and this morning (25 April).

Although several national media outlets have already reported that the Kuet VC and pro-VC resigned on Wednesday (23 April), these reports cited an incorrect statement from the information ministry.

Only one formal press release has been issued regarding this matter so far. 

"Given the recent events at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, the process of relieving the vice chancellor and the pro-vice chancellor of the university from their duties has been initiated to resolve the crisis that has arisen and to start educational activities quickly," reads yesterday's press statement, signed by the ministry's Public Relations Officer Md Mamun Or Rashid.

"A search committee will be formed immediately to make new appointments to these two positions. In the interim, one of the senior professors will be temporarily assigned the responsibility of the vice-chancellor in the interest of continuing the regular activities of the university. This information has been given by the Ministry of Education," it added.

There is no mention of their resignation or completed removal in this notice. When asked about resignation, both VC Masud and Pro-VC Shariful said they did not resign. 

Shariful said he sent a letter to the education adviser requesting restraint from such decisions and calling for further investigation before taking action.

Kuet Registrar Anisur Rahman Bhuiyan said, "I have neither received any notification regarding their removal nor any resignation letter from anyone. Therefore, according to law, they are still in their positions."

To further verify this matter, this correspondent spoke with several Kuet teachers and officials. They said after news of the removal process was published in the media on Wednesday night, the VC remained at his campus bungalow on Thursday.

That day, he signed multiple official documents, issued backdated transfer orders for several officials to various departments, and even signed backdated appointment orders for four individuals.

Seeking anonymity, one teacher said the Kuet VC requested time until Sunday afternoon (27 April) from the University Grants Commission (UGC). He said the ministry may issue a removal notification on Sunday afternoon. 

Until then, Masud is completing all his official tasks.

"However, everything he is hastily completing is corrupt in nature. Most of his signatures are on documents related to appointments, financial matters, and transfers," claimed the teacher.

UGC Member Prof Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan is a member of the Kuet investigation committee formed by the education ministry. He also announced the beginning of the process to relieve the VC and pro-VC of their duties to students on Wednesday night, which led to the end of their hunger strike.

When asked why the VC was given time to conduct allegedly corrupt activities, he replied, "It's the ministry's decision when to issue the removal notification. Our responsibility was only to investigate. The ministry would know better."

When asked specifically about the resignation of the VC or Pro-VC, the UGC member said, "This is not about their resignation now. Their terms of appointment include the provision that the government can terminate them at any time. The ministry will do that."

Growing protests

The developments come as students across campuses began hunger strikes and staging demonstrations demanding Prof Mashud's removal as Kuet VC in solidarity with Kuet students who have been staging a hunger strike since 21 April over the same demand.

Earlier yesterday, students at Rajshahi University and Jahangirnagar University launched hunger strikes on their respective campuses in solidarity with the students from Kuet. 

Later at night, the Bangladesh Democratic Students Council, in a press statement, condemned the interim government for not taking measures to heed the protesting students' demand and announced that they will take a protest march to the Ministry of Education at around 2:00pm today (24 April).

Prior to that, on Tuesday night, students from the Dhaka University blocked the Shahbagh intersection in the capital, demanding Prof Mashud's removal as Kuet VC.

Earlier that day, students from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and the DU held separate protest rallies in solidarity with the movement of the students of Kuet.

On Wednesday morning, a high-level delegation of University Grant Commission (UGC) members, education ministry officials, including Adviser CR Abrar, visited the Kuet students on hunger strike on the campus. 

During the visit, the adviser repeatedly requested the protesting students to end their hunger strike. But the students refused to withdraw their protest.

"We will take appropriate steps after hearing from you. Legal procedures must be followed; otherwise, decisions taken in haste do not stand in court," the adviser told the protesting students as he visited the Kuet campus this morning (23 April).

He informed the students that the ministry has already formed a committee to look into their demands and that the committee would soon hold discussions with them. 

However, the students rejected his appeal, saying they were unwilling to wait any longer. 

"We have been protesting for two months, but our demands remain unmet. You may continue with your process, but unless the vice-chancellor resigns, we will not break our hunger strike - even if it kills us," one student said.

The hunger strike began on Monday (21 April) at 3pm with 32 students. 

At least five of them had fallen ill and been hospitalised, while two others had returned home due to health concerns.

Kuet teachers 'strongly oppose forcing VC to resign'

In the meantime, at a press conference on Kuet campus on Wednesday afternoon, the Kuet Teacher's Association declared that the removal of the Kuet VC based on the demands of a section of students will not be accepted.

"Since the government has already intervened, if they find any faults or irregularities, they will take necessary action. Otherwise, we strongly oppose forcing a vice-chancellor to resign under pressure from any group," said Md Faruk Hossain, general secretary of the association at the press conference.

He added that teachers will refrain from participating in academic activities until justice is served for the assaults on faculty members.

At the press conference held at Kuet Auditorium, association president Professor Dr Md Shahidul Islam said, "The education adviser visited our campus today. However, he only spoke with the students and did not meet with us, which has deeply disappointed us."

What led to the hunger strike

Earlier on 18 February, clashes erupted at Kuet over demands to ban student politics, leaving over a hundred injured. The next day, students locked all academic and administrative buildings. 

During an emergency syndicate meeting that afternoon, Kuet authorities decided to halt all political activities on campus and formed a committee to investigate the clashes.

That night, the administration filed a case against 400-500 unnamed individuals with Khanjahan Ali Police Station.

On 20 February, students held a protest rally on campus, displaying red cards to all political student organisations and demanding the vice-chancellor's resignation. 

On 23 February, students travelled from Khulna to Dhaka to submit a memorandum to the Chief Adviser, demanding the trial of those involved in the attacks, the VC's resignation, and six other points.

On 25 February, Kuet's highest policy making body, the syndicate, decided to close all residential halls indefinitely during its 99th emergency meeting. 

Students were ordered to vacate the halls by 10am the next day, prompting further protests on campus.

On 14 April, at the 101st (emergency) syndicate meeting of Kuet, 37 students were temporarily expelled. 

"Following the unfortunate incidents at Kuet on 18 policy-making and 19 February, an investigation committee was formed at the 98th [emergency] syndicate meeting on 19 February. Their sealed report was presented to the syndicate and accepted. The decision was made to expel 37 students accused of involvement in the incident temporarily," said Shaheduzzaman Sheikh, public relations officer (additional duty) of Kuet that day. 

At the same time, the matter was referred to the university's Student Disciplinary Committee for necessary action, according to the investigation report. 

Additionally, it was decided that all residential halls would reopen for students on 2 May, with classes resuming on 4 May.

Meanwhile, on 10 April, a person named Hochen Ali from the Maheshwarpasha North Banikapara area of the city filed a case against 22 Kuet students in the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.