Around 20 teachers and staff of Sylhet Engineering College were freed after remaining confined to the college’s administrative building for nearly 33 hours as students continued their agitation demanding the college’s separation from the Directorate of Technical Education and affiliation with Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).

The teachers came out of the building around 9:30pm Monday after the students opened the locked administrative building, said acting principal Md Asaduzzaman.

The students, however, said they would continue their agitation until a concrete decision is made to free the college from the Directorate of Technical Education and bring it under SUST.

On Monday, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Quiyum Choudhury and Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun held several rounds of discussions with student representatives and later met the protesters on the campus.

The officials assured the students that their demands would be raised with the ministries concerned and higher authorities and sought the release of the confined teachers and staff.

The students refused to withdraw the protest, saying they had received assurances for a long time but no effective decision had been made.

They said classes, examinations, laboratory activities and academic and administrative operations would remain suspended indefinitely until a gazette notification is issued on the college’s release from the Directorate of Technical Education.

The students also rejected a recent government order transferring and appointing a new principal, saying the newly appointed principal would not be allowed to enter the campus until their main demand is met.