I’m a victim of conspiracy

Dhaka University (DU) teacher Samia Rahman, who has been demoted to assistant professor over plagiarism, yesterday claimed that she is innocent and a victim of "colleagues' conspiracy". 

"I didn't write and submit the research paper for which I was punished," she said while talking to media at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

She sought intervention of President Abdul Hamid, DU's chancellor, in this regard and said she would go to court for legal recourse.

"I did not get justice," she said.

Syed Mahfuzul Haque Marjan, who was co-author of the research paper and has also been punished, confessed to the investigation committee that it was only him who was responsible for the paper, Samia said.

"I made a request to then dean of social sciences faculty, Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed, to withdraw the article on February 5, 2017, stating that it was not mine. The dean was supposed to raise it in the syndicate meeting, but he delayed the matter for seven months. After the tenure of former [DU] Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique ended in 2017, he raised the matter with the syndicate, which was intentional," Samia claimed.

"The investigation committee and syndicate's decisions were one-sided, mala fide and biased," she added.

She claimed that the letter -- said to come from the University of Chicago Press Journal -- which was the main clue in the investigation done by Dhaka University, was "fake".

"Alex Martin, the complainant, was not involved with the University of Chicago Press Journal," she claimed.

As proof, she showed screenshot of some messenger chat with Craig Walker, editor of the journal.

However, The Daily Star couldn't verify the claim.

When asked, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology VC Prof Farid Uddin, former dean of the DU faculty, said, "It all happened a few years back. I don't remember clearly."

"Besides, the investigation committee did not call me. The university authority proceeded on its own. There had been an inquiry committee, and a syndicate. I have always done my job properly. So, I have no comment on this [matter]," he said.

Marjan, a lecturer of DU's criminology department, is currently on a study leave abroad. The Daily Star could not reach him.

Both the teachers were demoted on January 28.

A research paper titled "A New Dimension in Colonialism and Pop Culture: A Case Study of the Cultural Imperialism" was published on DU's social sciences journal on December 2016.

On September 2017, DU authority formed a committee, led by then DU Pro-VC Nasreen Ahmad, to inquire into a complaint, which stated that the paper was copied from write-ups of prominent writers Michel Foucault and Edward Said.

Samia claimed that she applied to change the committee in December 2019, but it was refused.

When asked, DU VC Prof Md Akhteruzzaman said, "We respect her freedom of speech and are careful in preserving her dignity. There is nothing much to talk about in this matter."