Jagannath University Teachers' Association (JnUTA) is grappling with a new conflict about the appointment of a controversial professor as university Registrar and two factions have emerged.
The appointment of Professor Aynul Islam as the Registrar of Jagannath University (JnU) has sparked controversy, leading to conflicting statements from the JnUTA. Two statements have been issued by the association regarding the appointment of the registrar and a report published in a national daily on April 16. One faction of the Teachers' Association represented by the President and Joint General Secretary and the other faction, represented by the Vice President and General Secretary, issued their signed statements on Wednesday.
The statement released by the President and Joint General Secretary on Wednesday, April 17 mentioned that they condemned the published news article and expressed strong opposition to the dissemination of such false, fabricated, and baseless news which was published regarding the former president of the teachers' association and the Registrar (Acting) professor Dr. Md Aynul Islam of JnU in the Daily Janakantha on April 16, 2024. JnUTA considers such grossly false and malicious news not
only defamatory to Professor Dr. Md Aynul Islam but also detrimental
to the unblemished reputation of JnU.
In another statement issued by the Vice President and General Secretary, they mentioned that all members of the JnUTA do not unanimously agree with the response published on Wednesday, April 17, under the name of the teachers' association, regarding the news published in the Daily Janakantha on April 16, 2024, on Professor Dr. Md Aynul Islam, the Registrar and professor of the Economics Department.
The president of JnUTA, Prof. Dr. Md. Zakir Hossain said, “A general meeting was called, where it was decided that we would issue a statement against the news published by Daily Janakantha in the pad of teachers' association. In this case, the General Secretary expressed his reluctance to sign. Later another statement was published again on the same pad.”
Raising a question about the purpose of the counter statement from another faction he said that the double statement from the teachers’ association might create a confusing situation.
General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Masrick Hasan said, “Prof Aynul was asked to submit an application before JnUTA's statement. Also, the issuance of a statement regarding the teachers who were in the news earlier was also asked.”
The General Secretary alleged that the President and Joint General Secretary insulted him by excluding him from their self-made
statement through the teachers’ association pad.
However, the acting Registrar of JnU and professor of the Economics department Aynul Islam was removed from the post of Treasurer of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University located in Trishal, Mymensingh on March 15, 2011, due to a sex scandal. Aynul Islam was removed from this post due to having involvement in a sex scandal with the proctor of and an assistant teacher of the Bengali department of that university and the demand of teachers and students. This decision was taken unanimously in the syndicate meeting of that university held on March 15, 2011.