Human chain held demanding judicial inquiry against a section of NSU trustees

Law and Human Rights Protection Foundation held a human chain demanding judicial inquiry against a section of North South University's (NSU) trustees, including its chairman, on the allegation of irregularities, corruption, and militancy.

The human chain was held in front of the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the capital's Sher - E - Bangla Nagar on Monday (8 November), said a press release.

Law and Human Rights Foundation Chairman Dr Mohiuddin Jewel and its advisor Dr Sufi Sagor Shams, Bangladesh Newspapers Employees Federation President Matiur Rahman Talukdar, and Bangladesh Environment and Human Rights Implementation Society Chairman M Ibrahim Patwari spoke at the event.

They demanded that a commission should be formed and led by a retired justice of the appellate division of the Supreme Court to investigate NSU Trustee Board Chairman Azim Uddin Ahmed and co-founder MA Kashem. They also bought allegations against NSU Founder Members Benajir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman, Mohammad Shahjahan, and Aziz Al Kaiser Titu.

They further claimed that despite repeated complaints to various responsible departments of the government, no effective action has been taken yet.

Speakers at the human chain bought allegations of purchasing of low priced land for the university at a high price, commission trade of trustees with the developer company, buying luxury cars from students money, taking seating allowance of one lakh taka, receiving the same amount even for online meetings, making FDRs of Tk408 crore at their own banks and not abiding the guidelines of the UGC by opening additional departments, admitting the more number of students than approved against the NSU trustees.

After the human chain, a memorandum containing 8-point demands was submitted to the UGC.

The demands included running the university in accordance with UGC rules, removing Azim -Kashem from all financial institutions, barring them from leaving the country, conducting a thorough investigation into all irregularities, and conducting a thorough investigation into patronising militancy, among others.

More than five hundred people including human rights activists, students, and parents participated in the human chain.