The vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University yesterday started occupying a house in the capital’s Uttara, as his office, with the ongoing teachers’ movement reportedly making him unable to stay at the campus.
Sources said Prof Anwar Hossain had started conducting the VC’s duties from a house in Uttara, where he had been living since the start of December during his medical leave.
Since then, the VC had been unable to enter the university as the agitating teachers announced him prohibited in the university and sealed his residence on campus.
A resolution from the authorities, signed yesterday by registrar Abu Bakr Siddique, said: “VC Prof Anwar Hossain cannot stay on the university campus as his house has been kept locked illegally. So the house in which he is living would be considered as the office of the VC from now.”
The current office address of the JU VC was 89 Gausul Azam Avenue (Level-4), Sector 14, Uttara, Dhaka – an office order of the university signed by the registrar said.
Sources said Prof Anwar Hossain informed registrar Abu Bakr Siddique about his return to work from his medical leave – through a letter he had sent on Saturday.
Meanwhile, agitated teachers staged demonstrations and threw away a copy of the office order into a dustbin, protesting the VC’s decision of returning to work and taking up an office in Dhaka City.
Sources said around 30 to 40 members of the JU Teachers-Students and Officers-Employees United Forum gathered in front of the administrative office sometime near 12pm and threatened to prevent the incumbent VC if he tried to enter the campus.
Criticising Prof Anwar, the forum members claimed that the only reason behind the university’s ongoing crisis and halt was the VC’s attempt of holding onto his post despite the government having him removed from JU.
Prof Kamrul Ahsan, the secretary member of the united forum, said: “Taking an office for JU in Dhaka city and doing office there is an unheard of incident in the whole history of the university, and this is illegal. We are rejecting the decision with much ire.”
At the demonstration, the forum also decided that the VC would not be allowed to make any decisions concerning JU, no files of the university would be allowed to be sent to the VC for signatures and no employee or vehicle would be provided for the VC.
Forum leader Prof Hanif Ali said: “Nobody from this university is allowed to meet Prof Anwar Hossain. If anybody does so, the united forum would take steps against them.”
Despite repeated attempts, the JU VC could not be reached on his phone for comments.
