DU syndicate to bring charges against 4 teachers

The Dhaka University syndicate yesterday approved a move to proceed with the renaming of two university halls named after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib.

Sources present at the syndicate meeting told The Daily Star that approval was given to change the names of Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall.

However, a source said the syndicate does not have the authority to rename halls, and the matter has been forwarded to the university senate for final approval.

Earlier, on December 21, Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) Vice President Abu Shadik Kayem, along with other Ducsu leaders and students, laid siege to the vice-chancellor’s office, demanding the renaming of the two halls.

The syndicate also approved the formation of a probe committee against four teachers of the university’s sociology department. They are Prof Sadeka Halim, Prof Abul Kashem Mohammad Jamal Uddin, Prof Zeenat Huda, and Prof Mashiur Rahman.

According to a source, a fact-finding committee was earlier formed following student allegations against the teachers. After reviewing the committee’s findings, the syndicate decided to form a probe committee to conduct further investigation and bring charges against them.

Among the four, Prof Sadeka Halim is a former vice-chancellor of Jagannath University, Prof Zeenat Huda is the general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association, and Prof Jamal Uddin is the newly appointed convener of Neel Dal, the pro-Awami League teachers’ organisation at Dhaka University.

In 2024, students of the sociology department boycotted classes and examinations of Prof Jamal and Prof Zeenat, accusing them of branding students involved in the Students Against Discrimination movement as Jamaat-Shibir, threatening them with lawsuits, and making other allegations.