A month has passed since a female student filed an allegation of sexual harassment against a teacher at Chittagong University, but the probe committee formed to look into the complaint has yet to make any significant progress.
Sources at the CU said the university authorities formed a three-member committee headed by Professor Md Zakir Hossain of the law faculty on April 22, 10 days after a first-year student filed the complaint against Mohammad Saidul Islam Sarkar, lecturer at the university’s Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries, with the institute’s director.
In the complaint, the student claimed that Saidul asked her to enter an illegitimate relationship with him when she went to him seeking help to get a placement at the Pritilata Residential Hall, where Saidul was a house tutor.
“When I turned down his indecent proposal, he threatened to drive me out of the institute and spread rumours about me on the campus.
“He also threatened my father that I would not be able to survive in the university if I filed a written complaint against him,” the student said in the complaint.
She also mentioned that her family now felt unsafe due to the threats and demanded exemplary punishment for Saidul.
When contacted, the institute’s Director Shahadat Hossain said they did receive a complaint against Saidul from a student, and discussing the issue at the institute’s academic council several times, they forwarded it to the higher authorities in the university.
Later, the CU vice-chancellor formed the probe committee on April 22 and asked it to submit the report as soon as possible, CU Registrar Engineer Alamgir Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.
When contacted, Prof Zakir told the Dhaka Tribune that the committee had planned a meeting, but it was postponed twice.
“We are having a meeting on Tuesday [today], and hopefully we will be able to submit a report in a week,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saidul resigned from his house tutor post after the student allegedly filed a complaint with the hall provost.
However, when asked about it, Pritilata Hall Provost Professor Dr Mahbubul Haque denied receiving a complaint of sexual harassment and said Saidul had resigned stating personal reasons.
The Dhaka Tribune also contacted the accused, who refuted the allegation and said someone was conspiring against him to destroy his career.
Asked why he resigned from his post of house tutor, he said: “Because I had some family problems, nothing else.”