DU suspends Sadeka Halim, 2 others, forms panel to review AL-era recruitments

Dhaka University has temporarily suspended three faculty members, including Professor Sadeka Halim of the Department of Sociology, over separate allegations.

The university has also decided to relieve four other teachers of their academic and administrative responsibilities.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the university's Syndicate on 28 July, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

The press release said Professor Sadeka Halim, a former VC of Jagannath University, was temporarily suspended from her position at Dhaka University over allegations including conduct unbecoming of a teacher inside and outside the classroom, moral misconduct, and other complaints.

Based on complaints from students of different batches and the findings of an inquiry committee, Professor Md Shafiqul Islam and Professor Afroza Shelly of the Department of Nuclear Engineering were also temporarily suspended.

The Syndicate also decided to remove Professor Md Abdul Muhit of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology from his position as department chairman and relieve him of all academic and administrative duties.

According to the press release, the action was taken over allegations of activities contrary to the spirit of the July mass uprising, spreading propaganda against the university administration and the government, and supporting and issuing threats on behalf of a banned organisation.

On the same allegations, Professor Abu Sara Shamsur Rauf of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Professor Md Rafiqul Islam (Rafiq Shahriar) of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies were also relieved of all academic and administrative responsibilities.

The press release further stated that Professor Mohammad Bahauddin of the Department of Persian Language and Literature was relieved of his academic and administrative duties over allegations of various irregularities in the department and plagiarism involving similarities between MPhil and PhD theses.

In a separate decision, AKM Mahbub Mustafa, supervising engineer (civil) at the Office of the Chief Engineer, was temporarily suspended from his job for activities deemed contrary to office discipline.

The Syndicate also formed a committee to review all alleged irregularities in recruitment at Dhaka University between 1 January 2009 and June 2024 and assess the transparency of the appointment process.

The committee will be headed by Pro-VC (academic) Professor Abdus Salam, with the deans of all university faculties serving as members.

Another committee, led by Pro-VC (administration) Professor Mohammad Al-Mujaddedi Al-Feshani, 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 (UGC), during the same period. The committee will also examine whether research project funds were used appropriately.

The press release added that the Syndicate decided to take action against individuals, groups and organisations allegedly involved in activities deemed contrary to the spirit of the July mass uprising. It said further decisions would be taken after a verification process.

The meeting also approved the construction of a "July Memorial Monument" on the plaza adjacent to the university's Administrative Building in memory of those killed during the July mass uprising. The foundation stone for the monument is scheduled to be laid on 5 August.