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Published : 18 May 2026, 03:22 PM
Protests by students over the appointment of the new vice-chancellor at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur have entered their fifth day.
The “DUET Blockade” programme began on Monday morning. As a result, almost all activities at the university have come to a standstill.
The situation became tense following repeated clashes on Sunday between general students, police, and outsiders. In protest, students have continued the previously announced “DUET Blockade” programme.
Since Monday morning, students have been holding demonstrations and protest rallies on campus. However, as of 2pm, the protest programme was continuing peacefully, according to reports.
Mohammad Aminul Islam, chief of Gazipur Sadar Police Station, said, “The protesting students have been staging a sit-in strike since Monday morning, but the overall situation remains under control. Police are also stationed at designated locations.”
As part of a series of vice-chancellor appointments at various universities, the government appointed new vice-chancellors to 11 universities, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), on May 14. Professor Mohammad Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was appointed as the new vice-chancellor of DUET.
Since then, a section of students has been protesting the decision. Their demand is that the vice-chancellor must be appointed from among DUET’s own teachers.
As part of the movement, protesting students announced a demonstration programme titled “Red Card for the New VC” on the morning of May 17. From early morning, they staged protests on campus, chanting slogans such as, “We have only one demand — we want a VC from DUET,” and “DUET’s VC must come from DUET.”
The group of students declared the newly appointed vice-chancellor “unwanted,” hung banners at the university gate, and locked the main entrance of the campus. The students alleged that outsiders later attacked them.
According to the protesters, around 12pm on May 17, some outsiders supporting the newly appointed VC entered the campus, leading to clashes between them and the students. During the repeated confrontations, both sides pelted brickbats and stones, injuring several students. Bus services on the Dhaka-Shimultali road were suspended. Police later intervened and brought the situation under control.
Following the incident, tensions spread across the entire campus. The protesters then announced that they would continue their movement and presented a three-point demand.
The students’ demands are:
• Cancellation of the appointment of Prof Mohammad Iqbal of Shahjalal University as DUET’s vice-chancellor.
• Appointment of a vice-chancellor from among the teachers currently serving at DUET.
• An impartial investigation into the attacks on students and permanent expulsion of those responsible.
Students participating in Monday’s movement said they would continue their protests until their demands are met.
Meanwhile, the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the ruling party BNP, alleged that activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir were involved in the protests against the new VC at DUET.
The student organisation claimed that members of Chhatra Shibir, disguised as “general students,” were trying to destabilise the DUET campus.
DUET’s newly appointed vice-chancellor Iqbal has not yet entered his office. He is reportedly holding meetings with teachers outside the campus.
When asked, Iqbal said he was staying in Gazipur outside the campus and continuing university activities through online meetings and communication with his new colleagues.
