Calls grow louder for fresh exam
Demand for holding fresh exam for Dhaka University's “Gha” Unit rang louder yesterday, with more and more students joining protests and bringing widespread allegations of questions leak in the previous test.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Agitating students warned of waging tougher programmes if the university authorities do not meet their demand soon.
Meanwhile, Akhtar Hossen, a DU student who went on hunger strike on Tuesday with the same demand, broke his hunger strike at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) last night upon assurance of authorities, after he was rushed to the hospital earlier in the day as he fell ill on the third day of his fast.
Prof Md Ziaur Rahman, provost of Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall of DU, visited him at the hospital last evening and assured him of action being taken in this regard as soon as VC Md Akhtaruzzaman, who is now traveling to Turkey, returns to the country.
Earlier, DU Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani and some teachers visited Akhtar at Raju Memorial Sculpture where he was holding his hunger strike, and tried to persuade him to break his fast offering coconut water, saying they would discuss the issue. But the third year law department student denied.
The university team met Akhtar after the protesting students strongly criticised DU authorities for not coming to see him despite him falling sick.
In the afternoon, Bangladesh Chhatra League's DU unit in a press statement demanded that authorities come up with a clear administrative decision, either on re-conducting “Gha” Unit admission test, or taking a special admission test for successful candidates.
Yesterday's protest started around 11:00am as Akhtar's fellow classmates and a teacher from his department formed a human chain, expressing solidarity with him.
A group of students locked the office of VC Prof Akhtaruzzaman in a symbolic protest.
An hour later, more than a hundred students under the banner of Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, which waged the quota movement, brought out a protest procession on the campus demanding cancellation of “Gha” Unit entry test and its result.
Later, they held a rally at Raju Memorial Sculpture, and demanded immediate arrest of those involved in this year's question leakage and expelling students who enrolled in the university through unfair means in the last three years. They also threatened to wage tougher movement if the DU authorities failed to meet their demand by yesterday.
The protesters carried placards which read: “Stop question leakage”, “Save DU, save education system”, and “Those who are involved in question leak are enemy of the nation”.
The top hundred qualifiers in the “Gha” Unit admission test had failed in their respective unit's examinations. “It is enough proof of question leak in Gha Unit,” said Rashed Khan, a joint convener of the platform.
“Do not destroy the lives of students and the backbone of the country only for retaining so-called image,” another joint convener Bin Yeamin Molla urged the authorities.
Law enforcers have found evidence that hand-written question paper of “Gha” Unit admission test was leaked 43 minutes prior to the exam, and circulated by two admission information centres in Bogura.
Six people, including an admission seeker and his father, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the incident.
The DU authorities admitted that the question paper of “Gha” Unit admission test was leaked, but seemed unwilling to label it as “question leak”, and called it “digital forgery”.
The “Gha” Unit admission test, held on October 12, saw a surprising pass rate of around 26 percent, which is the highest pass rate in this unit in the last five years.
Allegations of question paper leak in “Gha” Unit admission test had also surfaced last year, after e-mails containing questions of the English part of the exam were sent to some admission seekers around eight hours before the exam.
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