Jagannath University (JnU) students formed a human chain on Sunday to protest the alleged misconduct by the university’s registrar toward a faculty member.
The protest took place at 12pm in front of the Language Martyr Rafiq building.
The protest followed an incident in which a faculty member from the Mass Communication and Journalism department was reportedly mistreated by JnU Registrar Gias Uddin Ahmed when he went to take a signature for a tripartite agreement for a UGC-funded scholarship.
The victim, Assistant Professor Abu Raihan Siddique, said: “UGC instructed me to complete the tripartite agreement process promptly. I expected Registrar Gias Uddin sir, to sign it sincerely. But even after several attempts, when I went to his office one final time, he questioned why I came again and asked me to leave, saying he was going for lunch. As a faculty member, I was shocked and deeply hurt by his behavior. Such conduct is unacceptable from someone in a responsible administrative position.”
The registrar repeatedly disrespected the teacher, delayed the process, and asked him to leave the office under various pretexts, including lunch breaks, the protesting students said.
Previously, Gias had also faced accusations of mistreating students and journalists, including removing them from his office. Recently, he allegedly behaved inappropriately with several journalists who approached him for comments related to a news piece.
JnU students said such conduct by the administration is polluting the university’s environment. They demanded the immediate removal of the registrar and accountability from the administration.
Ibrahim Khalil, a student from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism (2020–21 session), said: “When we approached his (registrar's) office with reasonable questions, he responded rudely and in an insulting manner—not just with students, but with teachers too. The administration must put an end to such authoritarian behavior.”