Allegations of irregularities and manipulation of results have emerged in the recruitment of teachers in the Urdu Department at Rajshahi University. The candidate who secured second place in the viva board’s recommended merit list was excluded, and instead the candidate ranked fourth was appointed by the authorities. An expert member of the viva board from the University of Dhaka reportedly refused to sign the final merit list upon detecting irregularities. Despite this objection, the recruitment was later approved by the university’s highest policy-making body, the Syndicate. Although the appointment process was completed last year, the matter has come to light only recently.
The excluded candidate is E. Salam. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Urdu from the University of Dhaka in 2008 and 2009 respectively, securing first class first position in both examinations. He later obtained his MPhil in 2014 and PhD in 2019 from the same university. In recognition of his academic excellence, he received two gold medals. He has also published a research book along with several academic articles. Claiming that he was a victim of irregularities and corruption in the recruitment process, he submitted a written complaint via email to the Rajshahi University legal cell last Friday.
According to sources from the recruitment board, the university initially published an advertisement for three lecturer posts in the Urdu Department. However, that recruitment process was not completed. Later, on 30 April last year, a fresh advertisement was issued for three permanent lecturer positions. The written examination for these posts was held on 7 August last year, with 43 candidates participating. As per rules, three times the number of posts—nine candidates—were supposed to be called for the viva examination.
However, following a letter from the department’s planning committee and instructions from the registrar’s office, the recruitment board decided to expand the number of appointments to six lecturers instead of three. Accordingly, 18 candidates were shortlisted for the viva examination. Based on viva performance and academic records, six candidates were arranged in order of merit and recommended for appointment.
Sources further revealed that the expert member of this recruitment board was Professor Md. Israfil from the Urdu Department of the University of Dhaka. Before the matter was presented to the Syndicate meeting, he was called back to the Rajshahi University campus by phone from the registrar’s office. He was then informed that instead of six, only three lecturers would be appointed.
At that point, while signing the final merit list, the expert member noticed that the ranking had been altered. The candidate who had been placed second was replaced by the candidate ranked fourth. He raised objections, calling it an irregularity, and refused to sign the final merit list. However, he signed only the attendance sheet and left. Despite his objections, the appointment was approved by the Syndicate on 11 September last year.
Professor Md. Israfil stated in a WhatsApp call that initially six lecturers were to be appointed, and the decision was made collectively by the board members without any disagreement. Later, they were informed that only three appointments would be made. He said that the final merit list was prepared based on viva performance and academic records.
He further added that the second-ranked candidate was skipped and a fourth-ranked candidate was given preference. He objected to this decision and raised the issue with the Vice-Chancellor, questioning the basis of the change. He also stated that the justification given was that the fourth-ranked candidate was a student of the same university and was being given priority. The Vice-Chancellor reportedly remarked that while it might not be ideal from a humanitarian perspective, a final decision had to be made considering overall circumstances.
The excluded candidate, E. Salam, said that being removed despite being selected by the recruitment board without any explanation is a major injustice and manipulation. He alleged that bypassing the expert member’s signature in the Syndicate approval indicates serious irregularities. He also questioned why a particular university was being given preference, stating that such criteria should have been clearly mentioned in the advertisement if applicable.
An unnamed teacher from the Urdu Department alleged that during the previous administration of former Vice-Chancellor Saiful Hasan Nakeeb, recruitment processes were influenced by favoritism, and similar irregularities occurred in this appointment as well.
When contacted, former Vice-Chancellor Saiful Hasan Nakeeb denied all allegations, stating that no irregularity had taken place. He declined to provide detailed comments, saying that anyone could make complaints and there was no need for explanation where no wrongdoing occurred.
Regarding the expert member’s refusal to sign the final merit list, he stated that one member had indeed not signed but added that full unanimity is not mandatory in such boards. He insisted that there was no question of irregularity.
When asked why the second-ranked candidate was excluded, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin said that viva ranking is not based solely on merit and may include factors such as seniority and PhD qualification. He also mentioned age considerations, stating that the excluded candidate was over 50 years old and preference was given to a student of the university.
However, records indicate that the excluded candidate, E. Salam, is 39 years old. It is also noted that in other departments of the university, candidates older than this have been appointed.
Regarding possible action on the allegations, the current Vice-Chancellor Professor Md. Faridul Islam said that the complaint had not yet come to his attention. He added that although objections may be raised by expert members, failure to sign is a serious issue, and if a formal complaint is received, it would be properly investigated.