CUET VC denies resignation claim; says he signed no undertaking under pressure

Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam has denied reports that he resigned or signed any undertaking under pressure.

He made the denial after being rescued from his office, where he had been confined for about 30 hours amid protests demanding the reinstatement of former CUET vice-chancellor Prof Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem.

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“I have not made any statement or declaration saying that I have resigned or that I will never step foot on the CUET campus again,” he said in n a video message from hospital bed at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) this morning.

“As you saw, when I was being brought out yesterday evening, I was in no condition to speak. I urge media outlets spreading such news to broadcast truthful and objective reports,” he said.

The situation escalated on Monday morning when Prof Shariful, accompanied by several others, entered his office in the CUET administrative building after breaking the locks on the main gate at around 9:00am. A section of the protesting students gave him until noon to leave. When he did not, they locked the gates again at around 12:30pm, confining him and others inside.

Prof Shariful said 11 people remained inside during the prolonged confinement; the electricity supply was cut off at noon on Monday.

He said two alumni who had entered the room with him fell ill, and one required hospitalisation.

Addressing the protesting students, he said, “Do not destroy your invaluable academic lives. You might be used by a vested quarter. You are intelligent enough; it is my firm belief that you will not let yourselves be used by anyone.”

“I came to Chattogram to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me by the government, not for any personal interest or party agenda,” he added.

CMCH Director Brigadier General Taslim Uddin told The Daily Star that a specialist medical board had been formed to oversee Prof Shariful's treatment.

Yesterday afternoon, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Zahidul Islam Mia and Superintendent of Police Masud Alam visited CUET campus and held discussions with agitating students and teachers.

During the talks, students expressed anger over what they said was a lack of visible police action following an attack on student buses on Monday. They also demanded the VC’s resignation and the arrest of an individual who had accompanied him.

The superintendent of police said anyone among those confined who faced active legal cases would be detained.

Following mediation, the VC and the others were brought out through a side exit of the administrative building at around 5:45pm yesterday. Police then escorted them to CMCH in an ambulance.

The protesting students, however, disputed the VC’s account.

Ahnaf Shahriar Arnob, a coordinator of the protest and a 21st-batch Mechanical Engineering student, told The Daily Star that the VC had been allowed to leave safely on the condition that he would not return to CUET.

“If he now goes back on his commitment, students will discuss and announce the next course of action,” he said.

Arnob said that the campus shutdown was continuing.

However, students remain divided over the protests, with some expressing concern about mounting academic delays.

Several students, speaking on condition of anonymity, said classes and examinations had been suspended for 23 consecutive days, with a week-long Durga Puja holiday due to begin Sunday.

“Most students do not support this protest but they remain silent as senior-most students and some teachers are directly involved. The agitation has been hijacked by a vested quarter,” CUET unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal President Wasif Rashed said.

Asked about the VC's video message, CUET Teachers' Association Assistant General Secretary Prof Samium Bashir said, "We have no concern regarding this. Our single demand is the reinstatement of our former VC, Prof Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem."

Discussions with teachers and students suggest that the agitation stems primarily from two grievances -- the popularity Sayem gained during his brief tenure and his sudden removal, followed by the appointment of Prof Shariful Alam.