'Blue panel' president candidate ‘proposed’ chair after Zia at Dhaka University

Farid Uddin Ahmed, the 'Blue panel' candidate for the president of Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA), had proposed a chair in the name of Gen Ziaur Rahman, it has been alleged.

The 'Blue panel' is supported by the ruling Awami League and is pitted against the 'White panel' backed by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The DUTA polls are due on Dec 31.

Farid Uddin, who teaches economics and is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, told bdnews24.com that 'blue panel' had been finalised.

He is also member of the Syndicate.

Some Dhaka University teachers told bdnews24.com on condition of anonymity that Farid Uddin was once bitterly opposed to the Awami League.

They said he had even proposed a chair in the name of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman in the Department of Economics in March 2005.

"Many teachers like Ashraf Uddin opposed Farid Uddin's proposal for a Zia chair," recalled a senior professor of the department, who did not want to be named.

He said Prof AKM Monowar Uddin insisted at that meeting that a chair could be considered in the name of some former teachers of the economics department or some top national leaders like Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani or Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.

"But why a chair for someone in uniform!” Monowar Uddin had thundered.

Senior teachers recalled that Prof Abu Ahmed supported Farid Uddin's proposal and said the first chair had better be in the name of Ziaur Rahman.

"Later chairs can be created in the name of others," he reportedly had said.

A senior teacher said the proposal was finally dropped in the face of stiff opposition.

But Farid Uddin denied the charge and said they were 'fictitious'.

"We opposed the proposal and that is why the chair could not be created in the name of Ziaur Rahman," he said.