Three teachers of the University of Dhaka have been temporarily suspended, while four others have been relieved of all academic and administrative responsibilities over separate allegations of misconduct and irregularities.
The university’s Public Relations Office confirmed the decisions in a statement issued on Thursday, following a syndicate meeting held on July 28.
The meeting was chaired by Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam.
The suspended teachers are Professor Dr Sadeka Halim of the Department of Sociology, Professor Dr Md Shafiqul Islam of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, and Professor Dr Afroza Shelly.
Professor Sadeka Halim was suspended over allegations of unprofessional conduct inside and outside the classroom, ethical misconduct and other related issues. The other two teachers were suspended based on complaints from students of different batches and based on the findings of an inquiry committee.
The syndicate also removed Professor Dr Md Abdul Muhit of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology from the post of department chairman and barred him from all academic and administrative duties over allegations of activities against the spirit of the July mass uprising, spreading propaganda against the university administration and the government, supporting a banned organisation, and issuing threats.
Prof Dr Abu Shara Shamsur Rouf of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Prof Dr Rafiqul Islam (Rafiq Shahariar) of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies were also relieved of all academic and administrative responsibilities over similar allegations.
Professor Dr Mohammad Bahauddin of the Department of Persian Language and Literature was relieved of his duties over allegations of departmental irregularities and plagiarism in MPhil and PhD theses.
The syndicate formed a committee, led by Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Dr Abdus Salam, to review alleged irregularities in the university’s recruitment process between January 2009 and June 2024 and assess the transparency of appointments. The deans of all faculties have been included in the committee.
Another committee, headed by Pro-VC (Administration) Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane, was formed to review research activities conducted under the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP), funded by the World Bank and the University Grants Commission, during the same period and examine whether project funds were properly utilised.
The Syndicate also decided to take action against individuals, groups and organisations allegedly involved in activities contrary to the spirit of the July mass uprising. It said further decisions will be taken after verification.
In a separate decision, the Syndicate suspended AKM Mahbub Mustafa, supervising engineer (Civil) at the Office of the Chief Engineer, over allegations of activities violating office discipline.
The meeting approved the construction of a July Memorial at the Mall Chattar adjacent to the university's administrative building in memory of those killed during the July mass uprising. The foundation stone of the monument is scheduled to be unveiled on August 5.
