Prime minister’s namesake fabricates signature to influence university admission

Her name resembles the prime minister’s, so she decided to forge her signature to help a student enrol at the Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University claiming the application is recommended by none other than Sheikh Hasina herself.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 Feb 2017, 06:46 PM
Updated : 12 Feb 2017, 06:46 PM

To give credence to her claim, Mosammat Hasina Begum posed as a chef of the Ganabhaban.

But the grammatical and spelling errors in the letter she wrote to the vice chancellor raised the university's suspicion.

The authorities decided to contact the PMO for the veracity of her claim. Eventually, she landed in police custody.

Public Relations Officer of the university Bashirul Islam told bdnews24.com that Hasina sent a letter carrying ‘PM’s signature’ on Jan 23 asking the VC to confirm admission of a student named Fahim Jahan Drishti in the 2016-17 session.

Drishti, carrying roll 39047, appeared in the admission test held on Dec 9 but could not clear it.

The woman’s relationship with the student was not immediately known.

“Since the day of the admission test, the woman started contacting the VC about Drishti’s admission in special quota. She also met the VC a number of times.” Bashirul said.

“She then sent another letter with fabricated signature of PMO Protocol Officer Manzila Faruk. That letter contains fake recommendations from Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP and Planning Division Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam.”

“The university authorities then contacted the PMO and found the letter with PM’s recommendation is false,” Bashirul said.

"So when the woman came to the VC's office on Sunday we called police.”

Sher-e-Bangla Police Station OC Ganesh Gopal Biswas told bdnews24.com that they have detained a woman on the charge of fabricating PM’s signature.

The university authorities, however, have not filed s written complaint yet.

Bashirul said the proctor’s office of the university had been advised to take legal actions.