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DUET VC finally joins office amid complete shutdown
Professor Mohammad Iqbal, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur, finally joined office on Thursday amid a ‘complete shutdown’ enforced by a section of students.
He entered the DUET campus in the afternoon under tight security amid ongoing student protests.
As weekly and Eid holidays begin from Friday (May 22), the campus was almost empty, with most students having already left the university halls for home.
Later in the afternoon, the Vice-Chancellor formally assumed office and began carrying out his duties. He also exchanged views with teachers and university staff.
Professor Dr Mohammad Iqbal said he has been performing his responsibilities since joining on Sunday. He said he has already signed more than 100 official files, including salary and leave
approvals for university officials and employees.
He also said efforts would be made to discuss and resolve the issues raised by the protesting students.
Earlier, anti-VC protesters enforced ‘red card’ and ‘blockade’ programmes, bringing academic and administrative activities on the campus to a halt.
The protesting students vowed to continue their movement until their three-point demand is met.
Their demands include cancellation of the appointment of Professor Dr Mohammad Iqbal and the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor from among DUET teachers currently serving at the university.
The unrest began after the government appointed Dr Mohammad Iqbal, a teacher of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, as the new VC of DUET.
Soon after the announcement, a section of DUET students rejected the appointment and demanded that the Vice-Chancellor be appointed from within the university, reports UNB.