Professor Dr Mohammad Abu Kawser, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet), has refused to take on the vice-chancellor’s routine responsibilities, expressing anger that he was assigned the duties without prior consultation.

“If necessary, remove me from the dean’s post. I want nothing to do with this,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam informed Abu Kawser by email today (3 November), that he would take over the routine responsibilities during the VC’s absence.

Rejecting the assignment, Abu Kawser conveyed his objection to the vice-chancellor over the phone.

“I was not consulted before being assigned these responsibilities. Does sending an email on his own mean that I have to take on the responsibility? I strongly protested over the phone and rejected it. I told him, ‘If necessary, remove me from the dean’s post. I want nothing to do with this,” he said.

The vice-chancellor assigned the duties to ensure the university’s regular operations continued while he was away in Dhaka on official business.

Earlier, on 1 November, he had assigned Professor Dr Kazi Delwar Hossain, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, to handle the routine responsibilities for one day.

According to the email, Delwar Hossain was supposed to take charge from the afternoon of 1 November until the vice-chancellor returned to campus on the evening of 2 November.

The VC had travelled to Dhaka to attend a University Grants Commission (UGC) meeting. However, as he did not return to campus at the scheduled time, he subsequently assigned the responsibilities to Abu Kawser.

Contacted for comment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam said, “I will be in Dhaka for official work. In this situation, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology Professor Dr Mohammad Abu Kawser will perform the routine responsibilities in my absence.”