An allegation of misconduct has been raised against the chief engineer of Jagannath University (JnU) by Dr Nasir Ahmad, associate professor of the Department of History.
The affected professor verbally reported the matter to the university administration on Thursday, and the full details of the incident came to light on Saturday.
Upon inquiry, it was learned that on Wednesday afternoon, Chief Engineer Helal Uddin Patwary engaged in a heated argument and behaved disrespectfully with Dr Nasir Ahmad in the Shanto Chattor premises of the university.
A student who witnessed the incident said that Dr Nasir was chatting with a student at Shanto Chattor when Chief Engineer Helal approached.
During the conversation, Dr Nasir inquired about the activities related to the proposed second auditorium. In response, the chief engineer began to behave rudely, the student said.
According to Dr Nasir, he is officially responsible for overseeing the second auditorium as a member of the concerned committee. However, Chief Engineer Helal called for a tender regarding the purchase of furniture and other items for the auditorium without informing him.
The professor reportedly told the chief engineer: “You could’ve at least informed me or called a meeting before floating the tender.”
To this, the chief engineer responded loudly, saying: “Should I go door to door looking for you?”
The professor replied: “I didn’t ask you to go door to door. But you could have informed me once.”
The chief engineer then said: “I informed whoever needed to be informed. I’m not answerable for every little thing.”
At one point, he reportedly told the professor: “I’ll do things my way, do whatever you want.”
Students nearby were reportedly stunned by the incident.
One student said: “Even the vice-chancellor wouldn’t speak so harshly. Dr Nasir remained calm and didn’t retaliate, but the behavior was extremely inappropriate.”
Dr Nasir Ahmad said: “I spoke to him very politely, simply pointing out that he proceeded without informing me. But the way he responded was unacceptable and shameful.”
When asked if he had submitted a written complaint to the administration, the professor said he had reported the matter verbally.
Regarding the allegation, Chief Engineer Helal Uddin Patwary said: “It was just a minor misunderstanding between two people. We sat down and resolved the matter amicably. I don’t wish to say anything further.”
Professor Dr Rais Uddin, general secretary of the Teachers' Association, said: “I called both parties and resolved the issue amicably. When people work in the same place, occasional disagreements can happen. We chose to resolve it peacefully without escalating.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Rezaul Karim said: “I’ve heard about the incident, but I don’t know much. I’ll need to look into it further. I haven’t received any written complaint yet. If one is submitted, appropriate action will be taken after investigation.”
