Five assistant proctors of Dhaka University (DU) have resigned, with one of them alleging that the university administration had asked them to step down.
The teachers who resigned are Dr Md Rafiqul Islam, associate professor of the Department of Arabic; Atia Sanjida Shormi, lecturer of the Department of Zoology; Muhammad Mahbub Kaisar, associate professor of the Department of Sociology; Sharmin Kabir, associate professor of the Institute of Education and Research; and Jahangir Alam, assistant professor of the Department of Management Information Systems (MIS).
Two of them submitted their resignation letters on Wednesday, while the remaining three did so on Thursday.
DU Proctor Professor Md Israfil Ratan confirmed the resignations, saying all five letters had been submitted to him.
Asked about the reason, one of the resigning assistant proctors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proctor had called him after Maghrib prayers on Wednesday and requested that they resign, citing pressure from higher authorities and the prevailing circumstances.
However, Israfil Ratan denied putting any pressure on them, saying only the officials themselves could say whether they had faced pressure. He also said he had never treated anyone with hostility and had tried to treat everyone equally.
Rejecting speculation that the resignations were politically motivated, the proctor said differences or grievances could arise for various reasons and that not every issue should be viewed through a political lens.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam said on Thursday that the resignation letters cited personal reasons. He added that he had received only one letter so far and had forwarded it to the registrar.
Asked whether pressure from higher authorities had prompted the resignations, the vice-chancellor said he had no information suggesting this.
