Professor Dr Md Hazrat Ali, the acting Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), has stepped down from his position following sustained protests by the university's faculty members.
He submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Education on Thursday afternoon, a move confirmed by KUET's Deputy Registrar, Abdur Rahman.
The resignation comes in the wake of a series of demonstrations led by the KUET Teachers' Association, which has been pressing for five key demands since May 4. These include disciplinary action against certain students. As part of the protest, academic activities were suspended from May 4, followed by the halt of administrative operations from May 18, effectively bringing the university to a standstill.
On Thursday at 11 am, faculty members held a one-hour human chain protest at the foot of the "Durbar Bangla" sculpture on campus. They demanded a resolution to the ongoing crisis through the removal of the acting VC and the appointment of a qualified successor.
Dr Hazrat Ali had been appointed as KUET's acting Vice-Chancellor on May 1 by the Ministry of Education. He previously served as a professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology (CUET). On May 19, he left the campus citing official duties in Dhaka, amid ongoing tensions between students and faculty.
Earlier on April 25, the Ministry had dismissed KUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Masood and Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam following student-led protests.
