BU suspends teacher over rape attempt

BARISHAL, Aug 4: Barishal University (BU) has temporarily suspended an assistant professor of its Department of English after he spent months in jail in connection with a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The university has also formed a three-member committee to investigate allegations brought against him.
The decision was informed through an office order signed by Acting Registrar and Associate Professor Dr Abdul Alim Bachhir on Monday. The order was made available to the media later that night.
According to the order, Assistant Professor Md Shafiqul Islam is facing trial in a criminal case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station in Dhaka under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 (as amended), along with relevant sections of the Penal Code. The order states that he had been arrested and remained in jail in connection with the case.
Citing Section 39(2) of the Government Service Act, 2018, and Section 44(6) of the Barishal University Act, the university placed him under temporary suspension with effect from September 16, 2025. During the suspension period, he will receive subsistence allowance in accordance with the rules. University sources said Shafiqul has been on study leave for more than one and a half years.
According to the FIR, the complainant, a woman from Dhaka, had been in a personal relationship with Shafiqul, and their families had discussed marriage. The FIR alleges that he later assaulted her at his residence in Mohammadpur and subsequently attempted to rape her at a residential hotel in Kuakata. Police have submitted a charge sheet in the case. However, officials declined to comment further, saying the matter is now under trial.
Denying the allegations to The Daily Observer, Shafiqul said, “Our families had agreed to our marriage, but we later mutually decided not to marry. When I went to the airport to leave for the United States for my PhD on August 28 last year, I was informed that a case alleging attempted rape had been filed against me. I was arrested on September 16 and spent 177 days in jail. I believe I have been deliberately framed and deprived of justice.” The complainant declined to comment, citing the ongoing trial.
Department of English Chairperson Associate Professor Dr Tanvir Kayser said Shafiqul had been on study leave for over a year and a half, during which the criminal case was filed and he remained in custody. After the charge sheet was submitted, Shafiqul recently applied to rejoin the department. Around the same time, a woman submitted a written complaint to the university authorities. Following the complaint, the university temporarily suspended him and formed a three-member investigation committee headed by Associate Professor Suprabhat Halder of the Department of Law, Tanvir said.