Md Moniruzzaman :
Pro- Awami League backed teachers association under ‘blue panel’ have nominated 35 teachers for 35 seats to contest the election of Dhaka University teacher’s Representatives to senate.
Of them, Prof Dr Md Akram Hossain, Chairman of Management and Information Systems Department and Provost of Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, and Dr Muhammad Mizanur Rahman, director of Leather Engineering and Technology Institute were charged for dishonuring females.
Criticism is also going even in the ‘blue panel’ as nominating them while investigation continues.
Akram Hossain has been accused of sexually harassing a female student of the department by calling her to his room in 2018. Recently, the
student lodged a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor Prof Md. Akhtaruzzaman.
Professor Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, was accused of harassing and sexually harassing female colleagues at the National Institute of Textile Engineering and Research (NITER) before becoming director of the Leather Engineering and Technology Institute.
Last year, on November 22, Thirty-seven teachers of NITER lodged a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor Prof Md. Akhtaruzzaman against Professor Mizanur Rahman for various irregularities including sexual harassment.
However, 35 teachers representatives will be elected as Sente members, the highest decision making body of Dhaka University, on May 24.
Blue panel and BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed ‘white panel’ have submitted their 35-member panel on Thursday. Each panel can withdraw nomination by May 16.
Meanwhile, in this regards, convener of the blue panel, Prof. Dr Md Abdus Samad said, “Anyone can complain. They have been nominated at the party’s general meeting as the allegations against them have not been substantiated yet.”
Contact, Pro-vice-chancellor (administration) and former convener of blue panel Professor Muhammad Samad told The New Nation, “In a prestigious forum like Senate, it is undesirable to nominate a controversial person or a teacher whose case is under investigation.”
“It was discussed at the meeting of the Blue panel that the panel would be finalized in consultation with those of us who are in the administration. But there was no discussion with me on this issue,” he added.
DU Treasurer and Election Commissioner of the election Dr Momtaz Uddin Ahmad said in this concern, “If someone does not have the post of teacher, only then we can cancel his candidature. So we have nothing to do with this case.”
