A leaked telephone conversation revealed that Proctor Tapan Kumar Saha of Jahangirnagar University tried to incite Bangladesh Chhatra League men to create unrest on campus last Friday.

In the audio file, he asked the BCL men to confine a pharmacy department professor to an auditorium until they get "justice".

Teachers and students are now demanding legal action against the proctor.

On December 18, the pharmacy department arranged a reunion marking its silver jubilee at the Zahir Raihan Auditorium on campus. During a cultural programme in the evening, some BCL activists locked in altercation with students over taking a sick student to hospital. 

A group of students from Bangabandhu Hall, led by BCL activist Mohidul Islam Russell, a master's student of pharmacy department, then started beating up students with chains and belts. Russell later on fired two shots, students said in a complaint to the proctor.

Mydul Islam Sifat and Hasan Mahmud Farid of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall (MH) were injured.

When around 25 BCL leaders and activists of MH met pharmacy department chairman Prof Sukalyan Kumar Kundu, the teacher asked them to inform the university proctor of the matter.

Bashirul Haque, deputy social welfare secretary of JU BCL unit, then called the JU proctor and recorded the conversation. Proctor Tapan Kumar Saha refused to take any action saying he was not aware of the programme and that he had not been invited.

During the 1 minute 27 second conversation, Proctor Tapan said, "Catch him [Prof Sukalyan] and confine him there. Sit there and say 'we would not leave the venue unless we get justice'."

Proctor Tapan told Bashirul: "Campus is our responsibility, but whom did he [Sukalyan] inform about the programme or whom did he invite?"

Contacted, Proctor Tapan said he did not say anything with ill motive or with the intention to create unrest on campus.

"I told them to go to Prof Sukalyan for a solution and so that none gets involved in any trouble," he told The Daily Star yesterday after his conversation was leaked. 

Angered by the incident, teacher and student bodies of JU demanded legal action against the proctor.

Prof Mafruhi Satter, secretary of JU Teachers Association (JUTA), condemned the incident said they would hold a meeting of the executive committee today on next course of action regarding the issue.

In a press statement, JU Chhatra Union termed the telephone conversation "inflammatory" and demanded legal action against the proctor.

It said instead of taking measures to amicably solve the problem, the proctor instigated BCL men to foil a reunion programme.

Prof Amir Hossain of economics department said, "It should never had happened and further formal steps should be taken from our side after holding meetings with teachers."