DU suspends professor for ‘defaming Bangabandhu’

Dhaka University today suspended a professor over charges of distorting history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and defaming Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Prof Morshed Hasan Khan of Marketing Department, under Faculty of Business Studies, has been suspended on allegations of distorting history of the Liberation War and defaming Bangabandhu, said a press release issued by the Dhaka University.

The order will be made effective instantly and he Hasan will have to face the punishment until further notice, the release added.

Morshed made some remarks about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and on the history in his article titled “Jyotirmoy Zia”, published in a national daily on Sunday.

In the article, Morshed termed Ziaur Rahman the “declarer of independence” and claimed that most of the then Awami League leaders including Bangabandhu left the country during the war.

Soon after publishing the article, protests sparked among the leaders and activists Bangladesh Chhatra League on the DU campus on March 26.

The BCL men staged demonstration on the campus demanding punishment of the teacher and declaring him as “persona non grata” on the campus on March 27.

They also submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor urging the authorities for taking immediate actions against him.Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) in a statement also demanded legal actions against the professor.

Following the protest, Morshed in a Facebook post issued an apology in this regard.