JU proctor resigns amid student protest

Jahangirnagar University (JU) Proctor Prof AKM Rashidul Alam has resigned following 78 consecutive days of student protests demanding his removal over what they described as his failure to ensure campus safety.

In an office order signed by acting registrar ABM Azizur Rahman on Wednesday, the university said Prof Rashidul Alam voluntarily submitted his resignation from the post of proctor.

The order also said Prof Md Zakir Hossain of the Department of Philosophy has been appointed as the university’s acting proctor with effect from the afternoon of 29 July until further notice.

He will perform the duties of the post and receive the benefits attached to the position in accordance with the university’s regulations, the order added.

The protests had begun after an alleged attempt to rape and murder a female student by an outsider on the campus on 12 May. 

Students accused the proctor of failing to ensure students’ safety and launched a movement demanding his resignation.

On 16 May, protesters locked the proctor’s office and vowed not to remove the padlock until he stepped down. The office remained locked for two months and 13 days.

The protesters alleged that several serious incidents of violence had occurred on the campus during Prof Rashidul Alam’s tenure, but he had failed to take effective measures to address them.