Sexual harassment allegation brought against Cumilla University teacher

A female student of evening programme at Cumilla University filed a written complaint against a teacher for harassing her sexually as well as for destroying all the evidences she had on her mobile phone set in favour of her allegation.

The teacher is Ali Rezwan Talukder, head of the university’s English department, reports news agency UNB.

Habibur Rahman, director of the university’s Evening Masters Programme, said he received the written complaint from a female student over the incident. “We’ll look into it and decide what to do.”

According to the allegation, the Masters student sat for an examination from 5:00pm to 8:30pm on 13 January. She kept her mobile phone set in front of the desk she sat for the exam.

Going out of the exam centre, she found the SIM card and memory card of her phone set were changed. She brought the allegation against the department’s head.

The student also wrote in her allegation that she and Ali Rezwan Talukder were connected on social media. Ali used to call her to go to his room and proposed her for an illicit relation in exchange of giving her good grades in the exams.

All the evidences of these allegations, saved in the mobile phone, were destroyed, she alleged.

Ali Rezwan said the student was ‘mentally imbalanced’, and she was the one who wanted an illicit relationship in return of academic favours, but he never responded to her call.

“Failing to get facilities, she has been spreading this information against me,” said Ali Rezwan. “I’m embarrassed.”

Abu Taher, registrar of the university told UNB, “We’ve taken the allegation into cognisance and attached it with the vice chancellor’s file.”

A probe body will be formed to look into the allegations, he said, adding that if they find immoral behaviour on the part of the teacher, steps will be taken against him with no consideration for seniority or position.