The administration of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) has issued an order for protesting students to vacate the halls, amidst demonstrations following the tragic death of two classmates in a road accident.
After the university`s academic council meeting on Thursday (April 25), CUET announced the indefinite suspension of class examinations. Students were instructed to evacuate the halls by 5 pm on Thursday and by 9 am on Friday morning.
However, defiant students have declared their refusal to comply with the administration`s directive. They stated, "We reject this decision and will not leave the halls." In response to the administration`s order, enraged students vandalized and set fire to two buses belonging to Shah Amanat Paribahan within the campus premises. Additionally, they barricaded several academic buildings, including the vice-chancellor`s office. The students have vowed to prevent teachers from leaving the campus until the order to suspend CUET is rescinded.
The unrest stems from the tragic incident last Monday, where two CUET students lost their lives in a motorcycle accident on the Chittagong-Kaptai road in Rangunia, Chittagong. The deceased, identified as Shanto Saha and Taufiq Hossain, were both studying civil engineering at the university.
Following the incident, the bus driver, Tajul Islam, was arrested in Chittagong on Wednesday. The grieving students had been staging protests since Monday afternoon, demanding justice and a resolution to their grievances.
The protests intensified on Thursday, with demonstrators blocking Kaptai Road for the fourth consecutive day, expressing their discontent with the current situation. Among their ten demands are requests for two crore taka compensation for the victims` families and the expansion of Kaptai Road to four lanes.
