The ongoing student demonstration at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur entered its fifth consecutive day on Monday, with a faction of the student body actively enforcing a campus-wide blockade. Gathering from the early hours of the morning, the protesting students staged frequent marches across the university grounds, chanting slogans to reiterate their singular demand: the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor from amongst DUET’s own senior faculty members.
According to institutional sources, the administrative impasse began last Thursday when the government issued an official gazette appointing Professor Mohammad Iqbal, an academic from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), as the new Vice-Chancellor of DUET. A section of the student population immediately rejected the appointment, initiating protests that night. This stance has also drawn support from several university teacher leaders, who have publicly advocated for the top administrative post to be reserved for a senior professor native to the institution.
| Key Aspect | Fact or Figure |
| Location of Restraint | Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur |
| Newly Nominated Official | Professor Mohammad Iqbal (Academic from SUST) |
| Commencement of Agitation | Thursday evening, approximately 21:30 |
| Current Operational Status | Campus under blockade; fifth day of protest |
| Time of Escalation | Sunday morning, approximately 10:00 |
| Total Estimated Wounded | At least 25 individuals |
| Injured Public Officers | Additional Commissioner Taherul Haque Chouhan, UNO Sajjat Hossain |
According to law enforcement officials and eyewitness accounts, the agitation, which originally commenced at 21:30 on Thursday, escalated markedly on Sunday morning. At 08:00 on Sunday, a group of demonstrating students held a “red card” protest on campus. Tensions spiked sharply following widespread reports that the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor was arriving to officially assume his administrative duties. In response, the protesters padlocked the university’s main entrance and directed derogatory chants toward the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.
The standoff dissolved into violence at around 10:00 on Sunday when an opposing faction of students, who approved of the new Vice-Chancellor’s appointment, attempted to unlock and open the main gate to enter the campus. A heated verbal altercation ensued between the two groups, which quickly deteriorated into a physical clash. The opposing sides engaged in a violent exchange, hurling brickbats and stones at one another across the entrance area.
The demonstrating students have argued that DUET operates as a specialised engineering university, meaning its academic curriculum and administrative necessities differ fundamentally from conventional institutions. They maintain that the long-term interests of the university would be best served if a qualified, experienced, and senior educator from within the internal faculty were selected to lead the administration.
The violent clashes on Sunday resulted in injuries to at least 25 individuals. Among the casualties were the Additional Commissioner of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police, Taherul Haque Chouhan, along with three senior police officers and five other police personnel, bringing the total number of injured law enforcement members to eight. Furthermore, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Gazipur Sadar, Sajjat Hossain, and Delwar Hossain, the Gazipur staff reporter for the daily newspaper Dainik Dinkal, were also among those wounded during the confrontation. Additional security forces have been stationed on-site to maintain order.