Six deans of Rajshahi University (RU) have resigned amid a day-long student movement that included locking administrative offices and confining the university registrar. The resignations were confirmed following a meeting held at 8:00 pm on Sunday (21 December), according to Professor Akhtar Hossain Majumder, Administrator of the University Public Relations Office.
Speaking to the media, Professor Majumder said that discussions were held with both students and the deans concerned, during which the deans expressed their inability to continue performing their duties. He added that the Vice-Chancellor is expected to announce a decision regarding the matter on Monday (22 December).
The six deans who resigned are Professor Dr Abu Naser Md Wahid of the Faculty of Law, Professor Dr Nasima Akhter of the Faculty of Science, Professor Dr ASM Kamruzzaman of the Faculty of Business Studies, Professor Dr SM Ekram Ullah of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Dr Bimal Kumar Pramanik of the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Dr AHM Selim Reza of the Faculty of Geosciences.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor SM Ekram Ullah, said that he was not fully aware of the developments that took place during the day but confirmed that they had informed the authorities of their unwillingness to continue in their roles. Multiple attempts were made to contact Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib over mobile phone; however, he did not respond.
Earlier in the day, at around 10:00 am, students gathered at the Deans’ Complex demanding the resignation of the six deans, whom they identified as affiliated with the Awami League-backed panel. The students subsequently locked the Deans’ Complex as well as the chambers of the concerned deans located in different academic buildings. None of the deans were present in their departments or classrooms at the time.
At approximately 2:30 pm, the students moved to the Registrar’s Office to press their demands. During this time, Mujahid Faisal, General Secretary of the Islami Chhatra Shibir unit, announced that the protesters would not leave the Registrar’s Building until their demands were met. The students then placed locks on the offices of the Registrar, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and the Proctor.
After approximately thirty minutes, the locks were removed. Subsequently, a meeting was held between the students and university authorities, including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, the Proctor, and the Administrator of the Public Relations Office. The meeting concluded without a formal decision, with an announcement that another meeting would be held later that night.
It is noteworthy that elections for the Teachers’ Association, deanships, Syndicate, Planning and Development Committee, and Academic Council were held on 17 December 2023. In the deans’ elections across 12 faculties, six candidates from the Awami League-backed Yellow Panel were elected. Although the official tenure of the deans ended last Wednesday, the Vice-Chancellor issued an order on 11 December, in accordance with university regulations, allowing the deans to remain in office until new elections are held.
