United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka University authorities have  suspended eight students for their alleged involvement in the killing of Tofazzal Hossain, two days after he was  lynched at a dormitory of the university . The decision was disclosed in a press release issued on Saturday. Among the expelled students are three former leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League- Jalal Ahmed, a former deputy secretary of science and technology affairs of the organization, Ahsan Ullah, former secretary of mass communication and development affairs, and BCL office secretary Al Hossain Sajjad, a student of Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The other expelled students include Mohammad Sumon of the Department of Soil, Water, and Environment; Muttakin Sakin , of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Md. Firoz Kabir of the Department of Botany, and two physics department students- Md. Abdus Samad and Wazibul Alam. Six of the eight accused — Jalal Mia, Mohammad Suman, Ahsan Ullah, Muttakin Sakin, Al Hossain Sajjad, and Wazibul Alam — have already been arrested. Dhaka University authorities also announced that the provost of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall has been removed, and a new provost has been appointed to fill the position.    

Six students of Dhaka University, who were arrested in connection with the killing of 35-year-old Tofazzal Hossain inside their hall on Wednesday, gave a confessional statement before court on Friday.  The students are Muhammad Jalal Mia, Suman Mia, Mottakin Shakin, Ahsanullah, Al Hussain Sajjad and Wajibul Alam. They confessed their involvement in the crime before a magistrate, said Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (DC) (media and publication) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). The details of the statements could not be known immediately. After recording their statements, they were sent to jail, he added. The victim, Tofazzal, was beaten to death allegedly by a group of students of the hall suspecting him as a thief, on Wednesday night.  The Tofazzal murder case is being investigated by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police very seriously and intensively. “Efforts are on to arrest  other accused involved in the incident and bring them under the law,” added the police officer.  END/UNB/MJ-SIS/ssk

The university administration has decided to prohibit all political activities by students, teachers, officials, and employees on the Dhaka University campus until further notice. This decision was made during an emergency Syndicate meeting held at the Vice-Chancellor's Lounge in the administrative building on Thursday. Multiple Syndicate members confirmed the information following the meeting. The meeting was chaired by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, and attended by Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Mamun Ahmed, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Sayma Haque Bidisha, and Treasurer Professor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, among other Syndicate members, upon the Vice-Chancellor's invitation. According to a Syndicate member, wishing to remain anonymous, the meeting was held from 7 pm to 8:45 pm before the decision was reached. Another Syndicate member noted that while the primary focus of the meeting was on student politics, the decision extended the ban to all political activities involving students, teachers, officials, and employees.

Prof AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan from the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has been appointed as the 26th Vice-Chancellor of the university for next four years. The Ministry of Education issued a notification in this regard on Thursday, Bhuiyan previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and the Convenor of the Dean's Council at BAU. He has also held the position of President of the university's branch of the Agriculturalist Association of Bangladesh (AAB) and has been an elected representative of the university's teachers' association on several occasions.

Shamim Ahmed alias Shamim Molla, a former leader of the  Jahangirnagar University Chhatra League, has died from injuries he had suferred after being lynched by a student mob on the campus. He died on Wednesday night while undergoing treatment at Savar's Gonoshasthaya Samajbhittik Medical College Hospital. Doctor on duty at the hospital Selimuzzaman Sujan confirmed this information. Dr. Selimuzzaman said, "He was brought to the hospital around 9:30 pm. We checked and found him dead. The cause of his death can be confirmed after post-mortem." Ashulia Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Md. Kamal Hossain also confirmed Shamim's death. Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, a group of students beat up and injured Shamim Mollah on Jahangirnagar University campus. He was later handed over first to the University Proctoral Body and later to the police, witnesses said. According to university sources, Shamim Molla lived in the area next to the university. He is alleged to have been involved in the attacks on students at the Vice-Chancellor's residence on the night of July 15 during the anti-discrimination student movement. The attacks were allegedly carried out by Chhatra League and outsiders. According to witnesses and security officials, Shamim Molla was caught in a shop near the University's Joy Bangla gate on Wednesday afternoon. On hearing the news, a group of university students went there and starting beating him up.  Later, the university's proctorial team reached the spot. At one point, he was brought to the security wing with the help of security personnel. Then a team of Ashulia police station came to the security office on the information of the proctorial team. Meanwhile, the police and proctorial team interrogated Shamim about the attack on the vice-chancellor's residence on the night of July 15. Later he was handed over to Ashulia police on previously registered case.

Authorities at Dhaka University on Thursday formed a seven-member committee to investigate the death of a man in mob lynching inside the university's Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall.  The victim, Tofazzal, was beaten to death allegedly by a group of students of the hall suspecting him as a thief, hospital and university sources said. "We are shocked at the death of the man," said Dhaka University Proctor Mohammad Saifuddin Ahmed. He said that a seven-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident and submit its report by this evening.  According to witnesses, the man sneaked into the hall on Wednesday evening. Some students then caught and interrogated him about the theft of six mobile phones and wallets from the hall the previous day. Under intense questioning, the man agreed to tell them about the real thieves provided they give him something to eat.   The students fed him, but the man failed to give the promised names. Then the angry students then beat the man for two hours starting from 10 pm, according to the witnesses.  When the proctorial team got informed about the matter, it went to the spot and took the severely injured Tofazzal to hospital for treatment. The doctors declared him dead.  Tofazzal, according to some in Dhaka University campus, was a mentally unstable person.  The deceased Tofazzal hailed from Kathaltoli union of Pathorghata upazila of Barguna district and he lost his parents long ago. The proctor said they are preparing to file a police case. He said the probe committee is headed by residential teacher of Fazlul Haque Muslim hall Dr. Alomgir Kabir. Six other members of the probe committee are Dr. Mohammad Shafiul Alam Khan, Prof. Johir Raihan, Mohammad Mahabub Alam, Dr. Asib Ahmed, and Dr. Touhidul Islam and AKM Nure Alam Siddique.

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has appointed a new vice chancellor, pro-VC, and treasurer to the institution. The appointments were made under the order of President Md. Sahabuddin, with separate notifications issued on Wednesday. Dr AM Sarwaruddin Chowdhury, a professor of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Dhaka University, has been appointed as the new VCr; Dr. Md. Sajedul Karim, of the Mathematics Department at SUST, will take on the role of Pro VC. The position of treasurer has been filled by Dr Md Ismail Hossain of the Social Work department at SUST. The appointments are set for a term of four years, during which the new officials will be entitled to salaries, allowances, and other benefits as per the current regulations. These appointments come in the wake of significant administrative changes at SUST. Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government, all top administrative positions, including the Vice-Chancellor, were vacated in response to student protests.

Professor Dr Muhammad Yahia Akhtar, a retired professor from the Department of Political Science at Chittagong University (CU), has been appointed as the acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university. In recent days, students had been protesting for a quick appointment of a Vice-Chancellor. A notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. Previously, on August 12, facing demands for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor and other administrative officials, VC Prof Dr. Md. Abu Taher and two Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Professor Benu Kumar Dey and Professor Sekandar Chowdhury, resigned. Since then, Chittagong University has been without administration for more than a month.

Professor Dr Md Rezaul Karim of the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University has been appointed as the seventh Vice-Chancellor of the university. A notification issued on Thursday confirmed the appointment following an order from the President. His tenure will last for four years from the date of joining, during which he will receive the same salary and benefits as his previous position before retirement, along with additional benefits applicable to the role. Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim completed his PhD at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. He has previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Chairman of the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University. Prior to that, he held the position of Chairman of the Department of Social Work and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Rajshahi University, and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Khulna University. Rezaul Karim earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Welfare from the University of Dhaka. He joined Jagannath University as a faculty member in 2008.

The government on Tuesday appointed Prof Dr Mohammad Shamsul Alam as vice chancellor of Islamic Arabic University for the next four years. A gazette notification, signed by Md Shahinur Islam, deputy secretary at the Secondary and Higher Secondary Division of the Ministry of Education, was issued in this regard. Prof Shamsul Alam, a teacher of Islamic Studies department of Dhaka University, was appointed upon approval by the President and Chancellor of the university following Section-111 of Islamic Arabic University Act-2013.