DE News Desk :
After 57 hours of sustained protest, students of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) called off their hunger strike early Thursday morning, following the official removal of the university’s Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohammad Mashud and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Sk Shariful Alam.
The breakthrough moment came around 1:00am when Professor Tanzimuddin Khan—a University Grants Commission (UGC) member and Dhaka University faculty—offered juice to the protesting students, marking the end of the strike.
Cheers erupted on campus shortly after, as students launched into a celebratory procession.
The turning point followed a formal message from the Ministry of Education, read out by Prof Tanzimuddin, confirming that the university’s top two administrators had been relieved of their duties.
The decision, the ministry said, was made in light of recent unrest and in the interest of restoring normal academic operations.
“We have won. Truth never loses. Inqilab Zindabad! This is not a resignation — it’s a fall from power,” declared a student protester, moments before joining the jubilant march.
The hunger strike, which began at 4:00pm on Monday with 32 students, was the culmination of weeks of escalating tensions on campus.
The protest followed a violent clash on February 18, during which students were allegedly attacked by members of a rival student body and outsiders.
Though a police case was filed, it lacked specific details, and no arrests were made.Meanwhile, a counter-complaint lodged by an outsider named 22 students, including their departments and roll numbers—information the protesters claim could only have been obtained through administrative involvement.
Amid rising tensions, KUET suspended 37 students—many of whom later became leaders of the movement.
In response, students submitted a six-point charter of demands on February 23, calling for, among other things, the removal of the VC, Pro-VC, and the Director of Student Welfare, as well as a ban on student politics on campus.
Just days later, on February 25, the university syndicate suspended all academic activities indefinitely and ordered the closure of dormitories.
A three-member probe committee was formed to investigate the February 18 incident.
Despite this, tensions persisted. On April 13, students demanded the reopening of dormitories, and after their appeal was ignored, they spent two nights outside before re-entering the halls on April 15.
Upon entry, they found the facilities devoid of essential services like food, water, and internet.
With the university’s top administrators now officially removed, students have paused their protest but say they remain committed to ensuring transparency, justice, and meaningful reform in campus governance.