Body to probe militancy at public, private unis

UGC Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan made the statement in a press conference held at the commission's conference room on Sunday afternoon. He said: “The committee members may visit any university at any point of time for investigation.” The UGC chief also said they were planning to amend the Private University Act and add a clause of an observer in the board of trustees, as seen in banks. Talking about North South University, he said: “Strict action will be taken if we find NSU or any other universities' involvement with militancy.” Answering to a query, Mannan said: “The commission handles 142 universities with only 243 officials. Around 3.2 million students study in these universities. “It is not possible for us to fight against militancy in the university with this manpower. We can only investigate regarding a matter but the decision has to be taken by the government.” UGC Convenor Prof Dr Md Akhtar Hossain will lead the committee. The other members are Jesmin Pervin, deputy director of private university division of the UGC, and Md Shahin Siraj, its deputy secretary. Moreover, the officer concerned dealing with the Private University Division will act as secretary of the committee. The private universities came under scrutiny recently after it was found that many of their current and former are involved in militant activities.