Bangladesh government holds meeting with private universities, as students’ link to militancy surface

The Bangladesh government has held a meeting with authorities of all private universities against the backdrop of several of their students being linked to militancy.

The meeting, presided over by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, was held in capital Dhaka on Sunday.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, University Grants Commission Chairman Abdul Mannan, Bangladesh Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque and other top officials of security forces along attended the meeting.

Apart from officials and trustee board members of universities, students, teachers and parents also took part.

Ninety-five private universities have the licence to operate but eighty actually do.

The government and parents are now concerned over private university students going missing, as it has emerged that some of those involved in recent militant attacks are from private universities.

Islamic State reportedly published photos of five gunmen who killed 22 in a Dhaka cafe. They were also gunned down during a raid to rescue the hostages.

Soon afterwards, a suspected militant was killed during a gunfight following an attack on police guarding the Sholakia Eid congregation ground on July 7.

Of those six youths, four are from English-medium schools, where well-to-do families send their children to study.

Two of them were students of the North South University and another of BRAC University.

They had been missing for months, their families said.

Seven of the eight convicted of murdering Ganajagaran Mancha activist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider were students of North South University.

Last year, an investigation team of the University Grants Commission found jihadi books of banned militant outfit Hizb-ut Tahrir in the university library.

Media reports say several teachers and students of the university were expelled for their links with militancy.

The government has asked the families to inform police if any of their young members has been missing. The educational institutions have also been asked to inform bout absentees.

A similar meeting with the authorities of all public universities is scheduled for Jul 23.