Dhaka University teacher Naadir Junaid faces severe backlash as a student of the university on Saturday filed a written complaint alleging sexual harassment and prolonged psychological abuse against the professor.

The allegation came days after the professor has been accused of awarding unfairly low grades to students intentionally, violating university regulations, and intimidating his students.

Naadir Junaid, professor of DU Mass Communication and Journalism department, however denied all the allegations.

In the complaint submitted to the Proctor Md. Maksudur Rahman, the student brought a host of allegations, including threatening her in various ways for not accepting his romantic advances, monitoring her through the CCTV camera, continuously calling her at odd hours, and expressing sexual interest.

“He used to make lewd comments about my physical appearance and express sexual tension. At the same time, he used to persuade me to participate in phone conversations of a sexual nature,” she wrote, reports UNB.

During this time, the faculty also talked to her about internal administrative matters of the department such as the department's committee decisions, examination results, and even the conduct of the teachers, she wrote.

The student wrote that she tried to ignore his romantic advances but she couldn’t shut off communication completely fearing repercussions as Prof Naadir holds significant power in the department.

She shared her emotional experience, stating, “Over the past year and a half, I have endured significant mental distress. Unfortunately, I found it challenging to articulate this pain directly to him. The intensity of the emotional strain reached a point where it affected my sleep, causing insomnia during the night. To cope, I sought counseling at the beginning of last year and, regrettably, had to resort to sleeping pills.”

The student also wrote when she tried to stop all kinds of communication, Prof Naadir publicly rebuked her in the classroom.

“Then he repeatedly insisted that I was not 'normal' and suggested that I should seek medical attention. His persistence escalated as he questioned my emotional responses, repeatedly asking why I did not respond to his romantic advances. This escalated into verbal abuse, with him berating me as an 'idiot' and accusing me of being 'insensitive,” she wrote in the complaint.

As a student, I endured relentless sexual harassment, feeling powerless due to his position of authority, she said.

Expressing her perspective on the matter, the student shared, “Having observed the detrimental impact of the teacher's resentment, I unfortunately became a victim of prolonged sexual harassment lasting over a year and a half. This harassment stemmed from what I can only describe as personal aggression.”

Despite repeatedly advising students against using social media, the teacher extensively monitors discussions on others' Facebook accounts, that she believes fosters an atmosphere of fear in the department.

“During a class to the 16th batch, he conveyed a message of scrutinising their Facebook posts. This has fostered a culture of fear within our department that leads to self-censorship among peers. I felt cornered by a teacher who seems to be establishing an atmosphere of intimidation, and there are concerns about the potential continuation of such behavior in the future,” she added.

It was also alleged that the Prof used to mention the names of other female students and made obscene comments about their physical appearance.

“I have come to know many times that several other students were approached by him,” she wrote.

The student urged for resolute measures to be taken post a fair investigation.

Contacted, Prof Naadir Junaid said, “I have been hearing for the last few days that such allegations might surface, this timing is very odd.”

When asked about some screenshots and audio recordings, he said, "I have not been contacted by the university administration yet, so cannot comment further on this issue.”

DU proctor Professor Maksudur Rahman confirmed that he received the written complaint.

Protesting Students Demand Immediate Trial

Leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra Union’s (BSU) Dhaka University unit formed a human chain on the campus, demanding a trial for the sexual harassment allegations brought against the Mass Communication and Journalism department’s Prof. Naadir Junaid.

They urged students to build a strong movement demanding investigation of the incident and the establishment of an effective anti-sexual harassment cell as soon as possible.

Kranooprue Lotus, the Press and Publication Secretary of the DU unit, said in his speech that allegations against university teachers are not prosecuted.

“There is no precedent for them to be fired. Consequently, they continue to engage in such behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to implement the anti-sexual harassment cell.”

Meghmallar Bosu, the president of the DU unit, emphasized that the main focus should be on power when such allegations surface.

“We discuss various issues whenever there is an incident of sexual harassment. Some talk about clothes, and some sexualize women. However, the main focus needs to be on power. The culture of power arbitrariness in a state structure has reached such a point that it is constantly creating oppressors.”

Kashfia Hasan Mouri, the Vice President of the DU Unit, mentioned in her speech, “Why would a teacher look at students with greedy eyes? The name of the teacher you see on the banner, Naadir Junaid, offered to have a sexual relationship with his student. After the proposal was rejected, the student was asked if she was a woman and whether she had any problems. Do you understand the extent of his audacity?”

Earlier, a student of Dhaka University filed a written complaint alleging sexual harassment and prolonged psychological abuse against Prof Naadir Junaid of the university's Mass Communication and Journalism Department on Saturday morning.

In the complaint submitted to the Proctor Md. Maksudur Rahman, the student brought a host of allegations, including threatening her in various ways for not accepting his romantic advances, monitoring her through the CCTV camera, continuously calling her at odd hours, and expressing sexual interest.

MCJ Students to Boycott Class

Students of the department of Mass Communication and Journalism of the university announced to boycott all academic activities including classes, exams until the proper justice and trial for the sexual allegations.

Seeking anonymity, a female student of the department told Tvista that they won’t attend classes until the justice delivered.

“How we can attend classes when our classmates are harassed sexually by a teacher. It is disgrace to call him teacher,” she said.

Awarding Unfairly Low Grades Out of Personal Vendetta

Students from the 12th batch of the Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) department of the university claim that Professor Naadir Junaid awarded them unfairly low grades in the final results of their postgraduate. They allege that he acted out of personal vendetta, as the students had shown little interest in his optional courses in the second semester.

The students also accuse Professor Naadir Junaid of making unauthorized comments on the results of another batch before they were officially published, and of threatening to influence the results of other batches. They say that he monitored their social media activity and used it as a basis for grading and intimidation.

According to the students of the MCJ 12th batch, Professor Dr. Naadir Junaid was the coordinator and examiner of the second semester course of their post graduate program. He was also the chairman of the examination committee of the Masters.

The students claim that he manipulated their grades out of personal vendetta. Tvista obtained a copy of the result sheet which shows that 35 out of 54 students in that course got CGPA below 3 out of 4. Among them, 14 got 2.50, 12 got 2.25 and five got 2.0. One of the top ten students in the graduation level got only 2.75, while others got below 2.25. Such grades are ‘unprecedented’, say the teachers and students of the department.

"The situation is dire. Professor Junaid's actions have cast a shadow over our academic life," said one of the victim students who preferred to remain anonymous.