Published : 17 May 2026, 10:49 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:44 PM
Clashes have broken out between two parties over the appointment of a new vice chancellor at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur.
Several people have been injured in the violence by thrown stones and brickbats.
The clash began around 10am on Sunday in the area adjacent to the main gate of the university, said Gazipur Sadar Police Station chief Mohammad Aminul Islam.
Later, the police brought the situation under control by using tear gas in the afternoon, he said.
On Thursday, a notice was issued appointing Prof Mohammad Iqbal of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) as the vice chancellor of DUET.
Since then, students have been protesting to demand the vice chancellor be picked from among the teachers of DUET.
As part of these protests, the students called a programme on Sunday morning and had taken up positions on the campus since morning.
The students participating in the protest said since DUET is a specialised engineering university, the academic and administrative reality at the institution is different.
The university's own teachers have more experience in the education system of DUET, and greater familiarity with the realities of the student body and the administrative challenges, they said.
Therefore, they argue that, in the interest of the university, it is necessary to appoint a vice chancellor from among the qualified and senior teachers at the institution instead of bringing in an outsider.
At one stage, when the news of the newly appointed vice chancellor's joining spread, the students locked the main gate of the university. After that, the students allege that outsiders attacked them.
The protesting students said that around noon, some outsiders came and took up positions on the campus in support of the newly appointed vice chancellor before clashing with students.
Several students were injured in the clash amid the brickbat throwing.
The confrontation brought bus traffic on the Dhaka-Shimultali road to a halt.
Other vehicles, including buses and auto-rickshaws, used alternative routes to skirt the unrest.
Later, the police brought the situation under control by using tear gas around 2pm. However, tensions persisted in the campus area as of 2:45pm.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (DB) Ashok Kumar Pal said that the newly appointed vice chancellor of DUET had not gone to his office as of 2:45pm.
The vice chancellor was reportedly meeting with university teachers outside the campus as of the writing of this report.
Gazipur Sadar Police Station chief Mohammad Aminul Islam said, “The police are working to maintain law and order.”
