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Published : 09 Jan 2026, 12:39 AM
Dhaka University’s top policy-making body, the syndicate, has "framed charges" against four teachers of the Department of Sociology over allegations of taking a position against students during the July Uprising.
The decision was taken at a syndicate meeting held from 10am to 4pm on Thursday, Saifuddin Ahmed, university proctor and associate professor, confirmed.
The teachers facing the charges are former Jagannath University vice-chancellor Prof Sadeka Halim, Prof AKM Jamal Uddin, Dhaka University Teachers’ Association General Secretary Prof Zeenat Huda, and Prof Mashiur Rahman.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, Prof Saifuddin said four separate fact-finding committees had been formed in late 2024 to look into allegations against each of the teachers.
“The committees submitted their investigation reports on Nov 20 last year. Based on those reports, charges were framed and later approved by the syndicate,” he said.
He noted that the investigation committees would now issue formal notices to the accused teachers, giving them an opportunity to defend themselves.
“After hearing their explanations, the syndicate will decide on the next course of action,” he added.
Following the syndicate meeting, reports appeared in several media outlets claiming that the four teachers were facing dismissal.
Asked about the reports, Dhaka University Registrar Munshi Shams Uddin Ahmed said: “They have not been permanently dismissed. I do not know how such reports came out.”
Among the four, Prof Sadeka was Bangladesh’s first female information commissioner, holding the post from July 2009 to June 2014.
She was a member of the Dhaka University syndicate between 2004 and 2009, served three terms on the executive council of the Teachers’ Association, and was elected to the university senate three times.
She also took part in the 18-member committee of eminent educationists that drafted the National Education Policy 2009.
Her father, Prof Fazlul Halim Chowdhury, was vice-chancellor of Dhaka University for nearly seven years from 1976 to 1983.
Another teacher facing charges, Prof AKM Jamal, is a member of the Awami League-aligned Blue Panel.
Since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, he has rarely been seen on campus.
On Dec 11, Prof Jamal left the campus after being harassed when he went to his department. Videos circulated on social media that day showed former DUCSU social welfare secretary AB Zubair grabbing Jamal on the stairway of the sociology department in an apparent attempt to detain him.
Prof Jamal was seen removing his hoodie while trying to break free before running down the stairs, with Zubair chasing him.
