Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on Sunday alleged that activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, operating under the banner of “general students,” created a confrontational situation at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) campus.

The student wing of BNP also condemned and protested what it described as a “planned conspiracy.”

According to JCD, Chhatra Shibir has been trying to destabilise the university in line with its political agenda.

DUET students block road for 2nd day rejecting new VC

In a press release, the organisation said Prof Dr Mohammad Iqbal has recently been appointed Vice-Chancellor of DUET. He previously served as a professor at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

However, immediately after his appointment, some Shibir-affiliated activists at DUET, posing as general students launched protests and road blockades demanding the cancellation of the appointment and insisting that the VC be appointed from within DUET, the statement said.

JCD said appointing vice-chancellors from outside institutions is a common practice in many higher educational institutions but the issue is being deliberately used to create instability on the DUET campus.

The organisation also alleged that the previous DUET administration had faced various accusations, including lack of transparency, partisanship, unethical practices and arbitrary recruitment.

Now the outgoing administration and the covert organisation Chhatra Shibir are jointly trying to destabilise the university according to their political agenda, the statement said.

JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir condemned and protested the activities.

They also demanded that those responsible for the “undesirable incident” at the DUET campus be identified and brought to justice through the university administration and law enforcement agencies.