KUET students on way to Dhaka

General students of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) left for Dhaka to meet the Chief Adviser to press home their six-point demand including the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Masud and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shariful Islam.

A total of 80 students of the university started their journeys towards Dhaka in two buses around 8 am on Sunday (February 23).

A meeting is scheduled to be held between Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the students at 11 am.

At a press conference on Sunday morning before the start of their journey to Dhaka, Lamisa Afrin, on behalf of the students, said, “We feel insecurity on campus. For this reason, we will meet the Chief Adviser with our demands. Then we will move to a safe place. We will not return to the campus until security is ensured on campus. Our activities will continue online.”

Earlier, a section of KUET students locked the main entrance of the Vice-Chancellor’s (VC) residence on Friday night and vowed to continue their movement demanding his resignation.

They rejected the decision of the university’s 98th syndicate meeting on Friday night following the “Roktakto KUET” exhibition.

The students also sent a letter to the Chief Adviser demanding the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Masud and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shariful Islam.

They locked the residence of VC and refuted allegations that they had harassed the VC, calling it false propaganda.

Students also alleged that despite syndicate decision banning student politics, such activities continued on campus.

They urged the administration to implement this policy effectively.

On Tuesday afternoon, at least 50 students were injured in a series of clashes between ‘general students’ and the JCD activists over banning student politics on the campus.

The unrest at KUET erupted on February 18 following a clash between some ‘general students’ and Chhatra Dal activists over the distribution of Chhatra Dal (BNP’s student wing) nomination forms.

The violence escalated as local outsiders reportedly joined in the attacks on students. Later an emergency syndicate meeting decided to suspend KUET’s academic activities until February 28.