Dhaka University has recently expelled 16 students for committing at least 14 offences that include sexual harassment, threatening, collecting tolls, assaulting teachers, vandalising classrooms and joining extremist Islamist groups.

DU acting proctor Professor AM Amzad said, ‘All of the 16 students expelled permanently either committed seditious activities or violated university rules.’ The university in a syndicate meeting on Sunday night made the decision that include expulsion of a teacher of Modern Language Institute for joining another job without taking consent of the university authorities.

Professor Amzad said, according to section 5(2) of Proctorial Law, steps were taken against the offenders. University’s disciplinary sub-committee first brought charges and then investigated each of the charges. Later, the accused had been questioned before they were expelled.

Details of the charges and offenders are here:

Six for distributing Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets

Abdul Motin of Institute of Education and Research (IER); Shihab Uddin and Sayedi Hasan Sajeeb of management studies department; and Nakib Farhan, Alamgir Hossain and Tariqul Islam of accounting and information department were expelled on charge of distributing banned extremist Islamic organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir on the campus.

Students and teachers brought allegations against the activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir after they had dropped leaflets in Business Studies teachers’ rooms in the last week of June 2015. The activists were later identified by checking footages of Close-Circuit Camera installed inside the Business Studies building.

On 5 July, university authorities held an IER student when he was distributing leaflets in his department.

On 9 July, the students were temporarily expelled.

Three for exam cheating    

These students were expelled for cheating university and college entrance examinations with a scheme that involved test-taking imposture.

DU mass communication and journalism first year student Ali Hossain Johny was held while he was trying to take entrance tests at Jahangirnagar University on 2 November; marketing third year student Mehedi Hasan Sumon was held while taking an exam in somebody’s name at Nursing College and pharmacy first year student Russel Sohrab was caught trying to impersonate somebody taking entrance exams in Bangladesh Agricultural University.

Three for committing forgery in entrance exam

Information and Technology student Farhad Uddin, physics student SM Imrul Kayes Shubha and fine arts faculty student Deen Mohammad Sohel were expelled for using unfair means, including cheating, forgery, tempering exam scripts etc.  

Two for molestation

Geology student Amir Abrar Nahid was caught molesting a female student at Teachers-Students Centre on the campus on 1 September 2015. Demanding release of Nahid, food and nutrition student Saddam Hossain vandalised the room of Ekushey Hall proctor. Later the university authorities temporarily expelled both of the offenders.

One for threating and snatching

Pali student Razib Baroi was arrested by police on 16 August at Suhrawardi Udyan in Dhaka after he had snatched a bank ATM card from one of his classmate by threatening him of raping his girlfriend. Rajib was then the library secretary of Jagannath Hall unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

One for drawing caricature

Fine Arts faculty student Arefin Hossain drew a caricature of faculty dean Nisar Hossain and spread it in Facebook on 2 September 2015. He later vandalised the room of the dean and got expelled. 

Teachers expelled

Modern Language Institute’s German language teacher Ashraf Uz Zaman was temporarily expelled for joining German Embassy without leaving his job or taking permission from the university.

Persian language and literature teacher Abu Musa Mohamamd Arif Billah was bereaved of increments for his illicit relations with a female student.