M M Jasim :
The police have started investigation into 4,500 absent and irregular students of North South University (NSU).
The University authorities handed over the students’ list to the police recently. The list includes those who were absent or irregular in the University for last two years.
The authorities provided the list after the police sent letters seeking the names of the missing and absent students.
There are about 20 thousand students at NSU. Some students stopped their study after one or two semesters, went abroad or got jobs or for other reasons. Their names also have been included in the list.
The police also suspect that the absent and irregular students might have link to militancy, because few missing NSU students were involved in the recent terror attacks.
An official of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said, they have started investigation.
“We have received the list of the students. We will gather further information about them. The information will be cross-examined. We will search as to why they were absent or irregular. Before completion of the investigation, nothing can be said,” he said.
Vice-Chancellor of NSU Professor Atiqul Islam said, “We handed over the list of the absent and irregular students’ names to the law enforcing agencies. Besides, we gave them all the information of the current students.”
“The Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks embarrassed us, as the students of NSU were involved in the incidents. The authorities took many measurers to check the involvement of the students in militancy or terrorism. Those measurers are: To remain present in every class is mandatory, to inform guardians if any student is absent for three consecutive days, to suspend teachers if they inspire the students to involve in militancy and not to appoint any teacher before police investigation,” The NSU VC said.
Meanwhile, the NSU authorities have failed to provide satisfactory answer to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The date to provide answers about some questions by the UGC expired on 31 August.
The UGC representatives went to the NSU on July 14 and gave 14 days for giving answers to their quarries. The representatives will submit a report to the UGC with recommendations for stern action against the teachers and the students involved in militancy and terrorism. But they will not recommend for stopping the academic activities of the university due to thinking the students’ future, sources said.
Member Secretary of UGC Professor Dil Afroza said that the NSU authorities gave answer of some questions, but the members of the UGC are not satisfied.
“We wanted to know answers to some questions. But they have failed to deliver properly. We gave them 14 days to prepare their answer. We will point out everything in our report. The work filling up the report will be started soon,” she said.
According to media reports, till now, 26 students and teachers of the NSU have been involved in acts of terrorism and militancy. On 14 February, 2013, the names of seven students of the University came to light in connection with the killing of blogger Rajib Haider. On March 1, 2013, five NSU students were arrested.
