Students of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology continued their protests for the second consecutive day on Wednesday demanding resignation of the university鈥檚 vice-chancellor, professor Mohammad Mashud.
On the day, the students staged demonstrations on the campus and vowed to continue their protest until the vice-chancellor resigned.
A section of teachers, officials and employees of the university, meanwhile, on the day also held a rally on the campus protesting at the harassment of the vice-chancellor by some students.
The current situation ignited on April 13 when a probe committee submitted its report to the university authorities.
The committee was formed following a clash over a ban on student politics on February 18 between Bangladesh Nationalist Party鈥檚 student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Students Against Discrimination that had left over 100 people injured.
Based on the report, on April 14 at the 101th syndicate meeting the KUET authorities decided to temporarily expel 37 students for their involvement in the clash, resume all academic activities from May 4 and reopen residence halls on May 2.
Protesting at the decisions, KUET students started staging demonstrations on the campus since Tuesday morning announcing their one-point demand for resignation of the vice-chancellor for his failure to provide security to the students, for instigating filing cases against protesters and for expelling students.
Some students broke the locks of all six male residence halls.
The students resumed their protest on Wednesday morning on the campus by holding rallies.
Later at a press briefing, they alleged that the teachers and the vice-chancellor were not on their sides.
They demanded immediate cancellation of the decisions to expel 37 鈥榠nnocent鈥� students and withdrawal of a case which was recently filed by a local.
The students alleged that the case was filed with the 鈥榮upport鈥� of the university authorities.
They said that they would continue their protest until the vice-chancellor resigned.
A press release, issued by the KUET authorities on Wednesday night, said that the vice-chancellor at a views-exchange meeting on the day met the teachers where the teachers vowed to follow the recent syndicate decisions.
KUET vice-chancellor professor Mohammad Mashud and registrar, Md Anisur Rahman Bhuiyan, also the spokesperson for the university authorities, could not be reached over phone for their comments.聽
Earlier, student politics on the campus was banned on August 11, 2024.
Later on February 19 this year, the KUET authorities upheld its previous decision to ban student politics.
All academic activities of the university also remained suspended since February 25 this year.
