CUET students show red cards to new VC amid ongoing protest

Students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) on Saturday showed red cards to newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam, rejecting his appointment amid an escalating campus protest, while teachers and officials continued a work stoppage that has disrupted academic and administrative activities.

The students began a protest march around 2 pm from a road near the university's medical centre, with participants joining from various residential halls. The procession subsequently passed through several campus roads before ending at the Shaheed Minar, where protesters chanted slogans rejecting the new vice-chancellor and demanding the reinstatement of Professor Dr Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem.

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The protests began after the government removed Sayem and appointed Sheikh Shariful Alam on September 21. Since then, students have staged a shutdown, demonstrations, graffiti campaigns and a signature drive, while the CUET Teachers' Association and staff organisations have joined the work stoppage. However, the new VC described the ongoing protest as limited, prompting students to announce the red-card programme in response.