Buet closed indefinitely

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Authorities of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) in an urgent notice yesterday announced the university closed sine die following a violent student movement demanding deferment of examinations.
The authorities also directed the students to vacate all the dormitories by 5:00pm yesterday ‘to ensure security of life and property and to bring back a congenial atmosphere of education’ on the campus.

The notice came from an hour-long emergency meeting of teachers yesterday.

At least 30 people were injured when the students demonstrating for deferment of examinations clashed with police on Buet campus Sunday night.

Hearing the authorities’ decision, angry students vandalised two dormitories yesterday noon. But they left the campus by the deadline for evacuation.

However, they vowed to continue with their new demands - resignation of the vice-chancellor (VC) and the director of students’ welfare (DSW) - when the university reopens after the unscheduled closure.

Demonstrators on late Sunday night demanded resignation of the VC and the DSW for their ‘failure to maintain law and order on the campus’, keeping four teachers confined at Suhrawardi Hall, who were let go at about 3:30am yesterday.

In a written statement signed by Buet Registrar Md shahjahan, the authorities accused the demonstrators of vandalising about 15 cars of teachers and their houses at teachers’ quarters on Sunday night.

The authorities said the students began demonstrating unreasonably on the campus from July 29 demanding deferment of examinations scheduled to begin on August 1, locked the main entrance of Buet and spoke ill of the authorities.

The authorities also said the VC wanted to talk to the students about their demands but they did not sit with the administration and rather vandalised university property.

The scheduled examinations were to begin from May 28 but as the students demanded that the authorities defer the exams for World Cup Football, the authorities complied and announced a fresh schedule for the examinations from August 1.

Sources in the university administration said the authorities will take ‘disciplinary actions’ against the students who are responsible for ‘making the campus unstable’. However, the authorities have yet to form any committee to identify the responsible.

Yesterday noon, VC Prof M Alee Murtuza and some teachers visited the teachers’ quarters and the dormitories, where the students carried out vandalism during the clashes with police. Talking to journalists during the visit many teachers expressed their resentments over the students’ ‘ferocity’.

“The authorities will form a probe committee soon and the responsible will be punished,” the VC said at a news briefing at the Council Building of BUET last evening.

Asked when BUET will reopen, he said, “We will reopen in the shortest time possible when the situation will be under control.”

A huge contingent of police remains deployed on the campus to avert further untoward incidents.

Meanwhile, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, a left leaning student organisation, demanded that the authorities reopen the campus and announce a fresh schedule for the exams immediately.

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