CU students go for 'complete shutdown' demanding immediate VC appointment
At a protest rally held on Shaheed Minar premises of the university, student Neyamat Ullah Farabi announced the shutdown this afternoon
Chittagong University students today (17 September) announced a "complete shutdown" demanding the immediate appointment of a vice-chancellor.
At a protest rally held on Shaheed Minar premises of the university, student Neyamat Ullah Farabi announced the shutdown this afternoon.
"We're supposed to be at the reading table and in the classroom. But such a deadlock has been created that we have been forced to take to the streets leaving our studies. Those who are adopting diplomacy over the appointment of VCs will not be spared. They have to answer to the nation," he alleged.
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"We are announcing a complete shutdown of the campus until the VC appointment notification comes. From now on, the administrative building and the two main gates of the university will be closed. The vice-chancellor himself will come and open the lock and enter the campus," Farabi added.
Earlier on the day, students formed a human chain and blocked the main gate of the campus, demanding the appointment of a VC and other key personnel in the university administration by tomorrow.
During the protest, students warned of tougher measures if their demands were not met within a day. They gathered at the main gate of the university's Zero Point around noon holding the human chain for nearly two hours.
The students said even though VCs have been appointed at Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, and Rajshahi universities, CU remains without a VC, leaving it without leadership and disrupting both academic and administrative functions. Despite repeated ultimatums, there has been no resolution, they alleged.
On 12 August, under pressure from students, CU's VC Prof Abu Taher, along with the proctorial body and all hall provosts, resigned. Since then, the university has been operating without a VC for over a month, significantly disrupting academic and administrative activities.
Students have been protesting continuously for the past 10 days, starting on 8 September, demanding the immediate appointment of a VC and a pro-VC.
