Dhaka University Suspends Sociology Professor Zinat Huda Over July Uprising Role
The Dhaka University administration has temporarily suspended Professor Zinat Huda from the Department of Sociology over allegations of taking a stance against students during the July mass uprising.
The decision was finalized on Wednesday during a meeting of the syndicate, the highest policymaking forum of the university. Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Mohammad Almujaddedi Alfeshani confirmed that a tribunal has been formed against the professor, noting that subsequent measures will be determined based on the findings of the tribunal's investigation report.
In response to the disciplinary action, Professor Huda dismissed the allegations as entirely premeditated, orchestrated, and politically motivated. Asserting her innocence, she maintained that the authorities failed to substantiate any of the six charges brought against her. She further claimed that the punitive measure was a maneuver driven by vested interests to seize control of the Teachers Association, remove her from her position as department chairperson, and install less qualified individuals in her stead.
Controversy surrounding the sociologist escalated in March of last year, when the pro-BNP teachers' association, White Team, issued a formal statement demanding her trial. The organization had accused her of making derogatory remarks against students and the public during the anti-discrimination movement, opposing the mass uprising, and visiting Ganabhaban as a Teachers Association representative to endorse the actions of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The association had previously urged the government to arrest and prosecute her immediately.
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