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The students had gone on a hunger strike to press their demands
Published : 26 Apr 2025, 03:31 AM
The education authorities have relieved the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mashud and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof SK Shariful Alam of their duties.
The Ministry of Education made the announcement in a notification on Friday night, said the ministry’s Senior Information Officer Siraj Ud-Doula Khan.
He said, “I received their dismissal notification at around 12:45am.”
The notification asks them to return to their departments after retiring from their duties.
Mashud is a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering while Shariful is from the Department of Electronics and Communication.
The crisis dates back to Feb 18, when demands to ban student politics triggered clashes between activists of the Chhatra Dal and the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, injuring over 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.
On Apr 4, the syndicate announced the suspension of 37 students allegedly involved in the clashes. They also decided to reopen all residential halls from May 2 and resume academic activities from May 4.
On Apr 15, students moved to press for a single demand: the resignation of VC Mashud. That same day, they broke the locks on six residential halls for male students and re-entered.
On Apr 16, students staged a protest march on campus and later held a symbolic event where they burned an effigy of the VC’s chair.
On Apr 20, the students gave a 24-hour ultimatum for the VC to resign. When the deadline passed without any development, they launched their hunger strike.
On Wednesday, Education Ministry Advisor CR Abrar travelled to KUET campus where he was greeted by students chanting anti-VC slogans. He spent about 40 minutes speaking with students, including those on hunger strike. But he failed to break their resolve to fast unto death.
Later that day, a syndicate meeting decided to lift the expulsion orders of 37 students and reopen all residential halls.
The meeting also reaffirmed that academic activities at the university will resume on May 4 as previously announced.
A three-strong committee of the University Grants Commission (UGC) went to the campus and ended the hunger strike protest around 1am on Thursday.
Later upon hearing the decision to relieve the VC and pro-VC of their duties, the students rejoiced and took out a procession to mark the success.
