Jahangirnagar University (JU) Proctor ASM Firoz Ul Hasan on Monday (March 18) resigned from his post amid widespread protests against his alleged involvement in the rape of a woman on the university campus on February 3.

Professor Mohammad Alamgir Kabir, from the statistics and data science department, has assumed the role of acting proctor until further notice. 

An order signed by the university's registrar confirmed the matter.

Since ASM Firoz was appointed as the acting proctor on January 1, 2019, numerous allegations of involvement in irregularities and controversial activities have been raised against him, according to media reports.

His fate turned for the worst on February 3, when some miscreants confined a man at the university’s Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall and raped his wife in the nearby bushes.

Subsequently, a group of teachers and students started protesting on the campus demanding the maximum punishment for the rapists and their supporters. 

They also demanded resignations of ASM Firoz as well as Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall provost Sabbir Alam from their posts for allowing a fair probe into the crime. Alleged negligence of duties demonstrated by the two during the criminal incident is seen by some protesters as a form of tacit support for the rapists.

On 14 March, three days into a siege laid on the university administrative building by the protesters, a high-level team led by the university’s Vice-Chancellor Md Nurul Alam hosted a meeting with the demonstrators assuring them that the alleged university officials would resign by 17 March. Otherwise, the accused would be relieved of their duties the following day, the vice chancellor had said.

In this backdrop, ASM Firoz resigned on Monday.

BDST: 2133 HRS, MAR 18, 2024
MSK