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Published : 06 May 2025, 07:28 PM
Academic activities at the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) have resumed after 74 days, but teachers have yet to return to classrooms.
On the third day since classes officially reopened, teachers continued their boycott, declaring they will not teach until students accused of assaulting faculty members are punished.
This ongoing standoff has thrown the university’s academic calendar into uncertainty, compounding an already year-long session jam and pushing students further behind by at least another two and a half months.
The absence of academic activity has also stalled KUET’s administrative and development operations, leaving over 7,500 students stranded with no clear timeline for a return to normalcy.
Interim Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Md Hazrat Ali has been holding a series of meetings with teachers, students, officials and staff to resolve the crisis, but no breakthrough has yet been achieved.
“Efforts are under way to resolve the crisis through discussions with both teachers and students,” he said.
University Registrar Anisur Rahman Bhuiyan and Director of Student Welfare Prof Abdullah Elias Akhter said on Tuesday afternoon they were working to restore normalcy on campus.
A visit to the KUET campus on Tuesday morning was met with an eerily quiet atmosphere.
Classrooms were empty, and students were largely absent, with many choosing to remain inside their residential halls.
A few students were seen chatting outside the halls or walking along the campus roads.
Students who live off-campus did not come to the campus. Police were deployed at the main gate.
The KUET Teachers’ Association held a general meeting from 11am to 1:30pm on Monday in the administrative building.
There, they unanimously decided not to participate in any classes or exams until the students involved in the assault were punished.
Faruk Hossain, general secretary of the association, said on Tuesday afternoon: “Following the 18th of February clashes, some students physically assaulted several teachers.
“We demanded justice, but the KUET administration has yet to act. Until those responsible are punished, we will not teach or conduct exams.”
He also warned that if no disciplinary action is taken within seven days, faculty members would withdraw from all administrative duties.
Meanwhile, students have apologised twice for the assault incident.
KUET students Rahatul Islam, Md Obaidullah, Sheikh Mujahid, Galib Rahat and Md Toufique said they held no animosity toward the teachers and had already apologised for any unintentional missteps in the heat of the moment.
They hoped for a swift return to normalcy.
“We want justice for all wrongdoing, but at the same time, we want classes to resume,” said the students. “We were already facing over a year of session jam, and the delay has now extended by another two and a half months.”
The unrest began on Feb 18 over a demand to ban student politics on campus.
Clashes broke out between the Chhatra Dal – the BNP’s student wing - and supporters of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement on campus, injuring more than 50 students.
The following day, students locked down all academic and administrative buildings.
In response, KUET’s syndicate suspended all political activities on campus and formed a committee to investigate the violence.
A case was later filed at Khan Jahan Ali Police Station, accusing 400–500 unidentified individuals.
On Feb 20, students symbolically showed a red card to all political student organisations and called for the VC’s resignation.
They later submitted a memorandum to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka on Feb 23, which included calls for justice and the VC’s removal.
On Feb 25, the university’s syndicate held an emergency meeting and decided to close all residential halls indefinitely. Students were instructed to vacate by 10am the next day.
A full investigation into the clashes was completed and submitted on Sunday. Meanwhile, a local filed a separate case against 22 KUET students at a Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.
The movement reignited on Apr 13, when students began an indefinite sit-in in front of the administrative building demanding the reopening of residential halls.
They issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the VC’s resignation. When the demand was not met, students launched a hunger strike on Apr 21.
Education Ministry Advisor CR Abrar visited the campus on Apr 18 to resolve the situation, but he was unable to break the hunger strike despite several hours of discussion.
Later that day, a syndicate meeting revoked the expulsion orders of 37 students and decided to reopen the residential halls.
It also confirmed that academic activities would resume on May 4 as per earlier plans.
On the third day of the hunger strike, many students fell physically ill but remained firm in their demand for the VC’s removal.
A three-strong committee formed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) visited KUET during this time.
That night, students agreed to end the hunger strike after being assured that the VC and pro-VC would be removed.
