The campus Chhatra League unit and general students of Rangpur’s Begum Rokeya University (BRU) have burned an effigy of the university vice-chancellor and declared him unwelcome on the campus in protest of his offensive remarks on the education minister.
The announcement was made at the university on Thursday night.
Earlier, a torchlight procession was brought out around 7:30pm. Protesters at the rally also demanded that Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah be removed from the post of VC.
Earlier in the day, Bangabandhu Parishad held a press conference on university premises to denounce the VC for tarnishing the image of the government by making indecent comments on Education Minister Dipu Moni.
The organization’s General Secretary Mashiur Rahman made several allegations of irregularities against VC Kalimullah including remaining absent from campus, hushing up fraudulence in admission tests, recruiting people in violation of directives from the UGC, being corrupt in appointing teachers and unduly promoting preferred individuals.
Speakers at the press briefing said the VC shifted the blame onto the education minister to avoid taking responsibility for the allegations of corruption made by the UGC.
They also demanded immediate removal of the VC and urged the authorities concerned to file a corruption case against him.
VC blames education minister, ministry dismisses claims
VC Kalimullah, while speaking to reporters at the Sagor Runi auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday, alleged that Education Minister Dipu Moni was responsible for all the recent controversies centring around the university.
He said the UGC probe report, in which he was accused of graft, had been written purposefully on the directive of the minister.
He was the victim of a “disgusting political tactic”, Prof Kalimullah claimed.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry in a statement dismissed Prof Kalimullah’s claims, saying his assertions were false, baseless and intentional.
“The UGC sent its probe report to the ministry after completing the investigation in accordance with its rules. As the UGC is an autonomous body, there is no scope for exerting any influence by the ministry or the minister at any stage of the process,” the statement read.
Prof Kalimullah had also made some personal attacks directly against the education minister, which was undesirable, said the ministry.
