The University Grants Commission (UGC) has formed a three-member committee to review the steps taken by Jahangirnagar University (JU) over the recent rape incident.

UGC Chairman (Additional Charge) Professor Dr Muhammad Alamgir said this while speaking at a workshop on Grievance Redressal System and GRS Software at UGC on Wednesday.

 Commission Secretary Dr Ferdous Zaman presided over the workshop.

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The committee members will visit the university on Thursday.

Prof Alamgir said the UGC will soon form a high-powered cell to thoroughly review the allegations of sexual harassment and irregularities at the universities and take steps. “Skilled officers will be posted here. If there are incidents of irregularities and harassment in any university, this cell will monitor and recommend action after investigation,” he said.

About the rape incident at Jahangirnagar University, he said the university authorities have failed to take visible and effective measures against various misdeeds including sexual harassment. Besides, due to the delay in the trial of these crimes it was not possible to prevent sexual harassment incidents in this university, he added.

“The rape incident at Jahangirnagar University has shocked us. A heinous incident like rape in a university is not acceptable in any way. Why such an incident is happening in this university needs to be investigated and action should be taken quickly,” said the UGC chairman.

Four people including a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader were arrested on February 4 for allegedly gang raping a woman after holding her husband captive on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus on February 3.

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The arrestees were prime accused Mustafizur Rahman Khan, a student of the 45th batch of International Relations Department and international affairs secretary of BCL, JU unit. The other arrestees are Mostafa Monwar alias Sagar Siddique, Hasanuzzaman, students of International Relations department and Sabbir Hossain, a student of Botany department, for helping the prime accused to escape.