SUCSU election: Vice-chancellor freed after being confined for 12.5hrs

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) vice-chancellor AM Sarwar Uddin Chowdhury, pro-vice-chancellor Md Sajedul Karim, and several other officials and employees were freed after being confined for 12-and-a-half-hours.

They were released around 1:00 am early Tuesday.

Earlier, amid a movement demanding that the SUST student union election be held on schedule, candidates and students locked the administrative building at around 12:30 pm on Monday.

As a result, the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, treasurer, and several officials and employees became confined inside the building. They were freed when protesters removed the locks at around 1:00 am.

General students said that voting in the Shahjalal University Central Students' Union (SUCSU) election, being held after a gap of 28 years, was scheduled to begin at 9:00 am today (Tuesday). However, following a preliminary hearing on writ petitions filed by two candidates and one student, the High Court issued a rule and ordered the election to be suspended for four weeks.

After news of the election suspension spread, an angry section of students, including members of the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed “Durbar SUSTian Oikya” panel, the “Sadharoner Oikyaswar” panel, independent candidates, and general students, blocked the Sylhet–Sunamganj regional highway in front of the university’s main gate at around 3:00 pm.

They held processions demanding the election be held on time, causing severe traffic congestion on both sides of the highway.

Later, at around 5:30 pm, the protesters withdrew the road blockade and took position in front of the administrative building, where they continued chanting slogans demanding the election.

University authorities held several rounds of talks with the students at night. Following assurances that the administration would continue its legal battle and that voting would be held the day after a decision by the chamber court, the protesters announced suspension of their programme at around 1:00 am.

However, they also announced that a new programme would be declared at 10:00 am today (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, an emergency syndicate meeting was held on Monday over the situation surrounding the SUCSU election.

After the meeting, syndicate member Jahir Bin Alam told Prothom Alo at around 10:00 pm that the university administration had filed an appeal with the chamber court, but the court had not yet specified a date or time for the hearing.

Stating that attempts had been made to contact the chief adviser and the education adviser, Jahir Bin Alam said Monday, “Another application will be submitted tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. If the chamber court gives a decision, we will organise the election the very next day.”

Meanwhile, the university unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) issued a statement last night strongly condemning and protesting the alleged “harassment” of university professor Md Ashraf Uddin by some protesters.

In the statement, unit president Rahat Zaman and general secretary Naim Sarkar demanded that those involved be identified and brought under the law.