Question Paper Leak: Buet removes chairman of department
Buet Prof Nikhil Ranjan Dhar, who is allegedly involved in question leak of a bank recruitment exam, has been relieved from his chairman post of the industrial and production engineering department and exam-related duties.
A five-member body, comprised of senior teachers, was also formed yesterday to investigate the incident and asked to submit its report in five-working days, Prof Satya Prasad Majumder, vice-chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told The Daily Star.
"Due to the seriousness of allegation against him [Prof Nikhil] in the mainstream media, he has been relieved from the chairman post of the department and exam-related duties. Besides, a body will also probe the allegation."
After getting the probe report, the university authorities would make decision on Prof Nikhil, the VC added.
The name of Prof Nikhil came up in the confessional statement of a man arrested over leaked question papers of a recruitment exam for bankers.
Delowar Hossain, who was arrested on Wednesday in a case filed over the leaking of question papers of recruitment tests at five state-run banks, confessed his involvement before a Dhaka court on Thursday.
He said the Buet teacher helped Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), where he is an adjunct faculty, get the job of preparing and printing the question papers.
When the questions got printed at a press, Prof Nikhil, who was the head of IPE department, used to take two copies of the question papers, added Delowar, a suspended office attendant of AUST.
Delowar said he sometimes put two sets of questions in Prof Nikhil's bag.
Denying his involvement on Friday, Prof Nikhil claimed to The Daily Star that he just gave technical support to the exam committee of AUST.
"AUST conducts the examinations through tender from Bangladesh Bank. I just give technical support to the exam committee. During visits to the printing press, the members of the exam committee, including the director, remain present there. While proofing, some questions papers get wasted. The waste and the printing plates are kept together. How would I bring out the questions?" he asked.
AUST VC Prof Muhammad Fazli Ilahi earlier said the professor was not part of any committee for the November 6 exams. But he was involved in several technical tasks like preparing the stickers used at exam halls.
"What the arrestee said in the statement might be of earlier incidents when the professor was involved in exam-related tasks during the tenure of a former treasurer," he said.
Following the question leak in recruitment tests of five banks on November 6, the Detective Branch of police has so far arrested 11 people, including five bankers and three AUST staffers, over the scam.
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