Students at Chittagong University’s (CU) Alaol Hall have staged a protest demanding the resignation of hall provost Professor Dr Jamalul Akbar Chowdhury. At one point, they declared the provost unwanted at the hall and hung a lock on his office.
Students, led by hall union leaders, began the programme around midday on Tuesday (September 15). Students allege they have long suffered from a range of issues, including the provost’s failure to coordinate with the hall union, delays in administrative work, mistreatment of students, lack of transparency in seat allocation, and slow progress on urgent repair work. They also alleged non-cooperation from the provost on various development work, including purchasing sports equipment.
Alaol Hall union general secretary Nurunnabi said the provost does not assist with any of the hall union’s work. “We want his resignation,” he said, adding that the general student body had declared the provost unwanted at the hall.
The hall’s social service, environment and human rights secretary, Ashraful Islam, said general students who approach the provost with various demands face harassment on various issues. “We want his resignation,” he said.
CU assistant proctor Khairul Islam Sujon said the incident of the lock being placed at Alaol Hall had taken place, and that they had gone to the scene after being informed. He said the proctorial body is in discussions with the hall union leaders to resolve the issue.