Chittagong University has appointed Professor Dr. Hossain Shahid Sarwardi of the Marketing Department as its new proctor, replacing Professor Dr. Tanvir Mohammad Haidar Arif of the Finance Department. The announcement came on Sunday (September 21) through an official notice signed by Acting Registrar Professor Dr. Mohammad Saiful Islam.
According to the notice, Dr. Sarwardi will serve as proctor for one year with all benefits and allowances as per university regulations, effective from September 23. Meanwhile, outgoing proctor Dr. Tanvir has been reassigned as head of the university’s Office of Research Administration and Publications.
Officially, the change has been presented as a routine replacement, with Dr. Tanvir’s one-year tenure ending on September 22. However, the appointment follows a week-long ultimatum from students who had staged a 52-hour hunger strike earlier this month, demanding the resignation of the proctorial body.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Yahia Akhtar had assured the protesting students on September 14 that their seven-point charter of demands would be addressed within a week. The removal of the proctor was among the key issues raised, alongside calls for improved campus safety, justice for injured students, and protection against political bias in administrative decisions.
Speaking to Gonotaar, Omar Samudra, a student of the Bangla Department who took part in the hunger strike, said they were informed that Dr. Tanvir was removed due to “past misogynistic remarks, favoritism toward a specific political student organization, and his failure to ensure student safety during the recent Jobra village incident.” He further noted that the administration opted to “reassign” him rather than directly dismissing him in order to preserve internal faculty politics and professional dignity.
The Vice-Chancellor has reportedly assured students that the entire proctorial body will soon be restructured to restore trust and accountability within the university administration.
