NSU trustee faces serious allegations; notice issued amid instability

Serious allegations have been raised against a member of the Board of Trustees of North South University (NSU). An atmosphere of instability has been created at one of the country’s top private universities over allegations of unethical activities.

The accused member has been asked to refrain from entering the campus and participating in university activities until the investigation is completed. Later, there are also allegations that he threatened other board members, including the chairman.

According to sources concerned, the trustee facing allegations is Mohammad Shahjahan. A guardian submitted a written complaint to the University Grants Commission (UGC) alleging that Mohammad Shahjahan was involved in activities such as forming unethical relationships by offering job, promotion and financial assistance incentives, as well as admission-related irregularities.

After receiving the complaint, the UGC on 14 May instructed the university authorities to investigate the matter and take action.

Sources concerned said that following the UGC directive, the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting on 18 May. All members of the Board of Trustees were present at the meeting except Mohammad Shahjahan.

According to the meeting’s decision, a show-cause notice was issued to Mohammad Shahjahan. It stated that considering the seriousness of the allegations, he must temporarily refrain from entering the campus, participating in meetings, and engaging in any university activities until the investigation is completed.

He has been also asked to provide a written explanation at the next Board meeting scheduled to be held on 4 June at Banani Club. It further stated that if he fails to submit his statement within this period, the university will initiate procedures for his removal from the trust and Board of Trustees under the provisions of the trust.

The notice outlines several serious allegations against Shahjahan. These include abuse of power in appointments, promotions and financial benefits; unethical behaviour and sexual harassment involving female students, teachers and staff; irregularities in admissions through financial transactions; influence in campus development projects; nepotism and financial irregularities.

It further states that if these allegations are proven, they may cause severe damage to the reputation and interests of the university.

Multiple students and guardians said that allegations of attempting to establish unethical relationships with several female staff and students by offering financial incentives have created widespread criticism on campus. There were also reports of an unpleasant incident involving a female staff member on campus. Screenshots of allegedly unethical messages exchanged via mobile phone between Mohammad Shahjahan and several female staff and students are circulating among various government agencies and others.

Mohammad Shahjahan denied the allegations, saying that these should undergo forensic examination. He claimed that the screenshots were fabricated through photo manipulation.

Internal sources of the university claim that Shahjahan has long been at the centre of discussions over irregularities, nepotism, and various allegations involving women at NSU.

He is also accused of forging documents from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the appointment of the university’s treasurer. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the PMO have filed separate cases regarding that incident. Shahjahan was also imprisoned in an ACC case involving allegations of embezzlement in the purchase of university land along with other trustees.

According to the case statement, in 2020, the Ministry of Education sent a summary to the PMO proposing the names of Professor M Enamul Haque, Chairman of the History Department of NSU; Professor Abdul Rauf of BUET’s Engineering Department; and M Abdus Salam Azad, former Treasurer of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), for the post of treasurer at NSU. The then Prime Minister marked a tick next to Professor Enamul Haque’s name for the position. Later, an office assistant of the PMO named Fatema Begum handed over the document to a student leader named Tarikul Islam (Momin). Through forgery, the tick mark made by the Prime Minister next to Enamul Haque’s name was tampered with and changed into a cross mark. A tick mark was placed next to the name of Abdus Salam Azad. It was then sent to the President’s Office, where the forgery was detected. The Ministry of Education later cancelled the appointment order.

Sources said that former central vice-president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Tarikul Islam, was involved in this document forgery incident. Tarikul is a former student of NSU and is known as a close associate of trustee Mohammad Shahjahan. He spent a long time in jail in this case. News of the incident was reported in the media at that time.

When asked about these past allegations and the recent UGC letter, Mohammad Shahjahan denied the allegations. He said whether the UGC can accept such complaints and issue such instructions.

“The Commission (UGC) said to investigate and resolve the matter. But they have instructed me to refrain from entering the campus and university activities. This is illegal and hostile,” he claimed.

Shahjahan further claimed, “From July, I am supposed to become the chairman of the Board of Trustees. These actions are being taken intentionally so that I cannot become chairman. I have sent a legal notice to the Board of Trustees. I will respond to all allegations.”

However, the current chairman of the Board of Trustees, Aziz Al Kaisar, told Prothom Alo, “Whether he becomes chairman or not is a different matter. We have not taken any action against him. We have only issued a show-cause notice following the letter from our regulatory authority. Otherwise, we (Board of Trustees) would face problems. He is responding with vague statements instead of answering the allegations in the notice. If he is proven innocent, then we have no problem.”

North South University, which started its journey in 1992 with 137 students, now has more than 25,000 students. Starting from a rented building in Banani, it is now run from its own large campus. It has also secured a place in international rankings.

However, with expansion of the institution, various administrative irregularities, corruption, and conflicts over control of the university have also increased, according to related individuals.

The Vice-Chancellor of North South University, Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, declined to comment on the allegations, saying, “This is a matter for the trustees; I will not comment.”

Meanwhile, when asked about the UGC letter regarding serious allegations against a trustee, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of North South University, Aziz Al Kaisar, told Prothom Alo, “The letter instructed the Board of Trustees to investigate the allegations and take necessary action as quickly as possible. The Board of Trustees unanimously decided to issue a show-cause notice seeking an explanation.”

He said, “What else could we have done? But unfortunately, since the notice, he (Shahjahan) has been issuing threats via phone and messages.”