DU terminates its teacher for forgery in doctoral thesis

Dhaka University (DU) authorities have expelled 43 students and fined some 59 others following their involvement in unfair means during departmental examinations.
In addition, the university also terminated a Political Science Department teacher, Nur Uddin Alo, for alleged forgery in his PhD dissertation. Earlier, the university authorities revoked his PhD degree as the investigation committee found mismatch in the advanced research.
The authorities took the decision Sunday at a syndicate meeting. Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique presided over the meeting.
DU Proctor Dr Amjad Ali told the journalists that some 43 students of various departments and affiliated colleges have been suspended for different periods while 59 others were fined.
Of the expelled students, he said three students were suspended for three years, 11 for two years and 27 students for a year.
"The syndicate also fined Tk 5,000 each and warned 59 students of further action if they further violate the university's discipline," he noted.
Dr Ali said out of the total suspended students, some 33 were from Salimullah Medical College and 25 were from the university.
Meanwhile, Nur Uddin Alo, obtained his doctoral degree in 2010 styled 'The Practices of Marxism and Their Impacts on Modern World: The Case of Objectivisation' under the supervision of Prof Shawkat Ara Husain of the same department while Prof Abdul Mannan of Jahangirnagar University and Prof Maksudur Rahman of Rajshahi University evaluated the dissertation.
In 2012, some of Alo's colleagues from the department applied to the vice-chancellor for reevaluation of the thesis. The university formed a probe committee headed by the university's Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Nasreen Ahmad and the committee found the teacher provided counterfeit and false information in his research.
The committee had told that Alo claimed to have interviewed 1.3 million people for his research but could not present any evidence of that, and the methodology he had claimed to use for the research was practically impossible. Following the allegation, the university's syndicate withdrew his PhD in September last year.