"> Anwar HossainVice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Prof Anwar Hossain yesterday announced to resign by January 24 next year following a meeting with the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry on Wednesday.
"Right after completing the procedures for the VC panel election, I will be back to Dhaka University before the parliamentary polls," he said at a press conference at the JU senate building.
He also announced December 6 for holding the JU Central Students Union (Jucsu) election and asked all faculty members to cooperate with him.
His Wednesday's meeting with the parliamentary committee also decided that Prof Anwar would not contest the VC panel election, and reinstate two hall provosts he had dismissed, and withdraw the writ petition filed on July 24 against the JU Teachers' Association.
Along with the VC, two teachers from his rival camp Sadharon Shikkhak Forum were present in the meeting.
Chaired by lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon, the meeting was also attended by Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury.
At another press conference on the campus yesterday, the Sadharon Shikkhak Forum demanded immediate resignation of Prof Anwar. They claimed that the parliamentary standing committee had asked him to step down right away.
They said, "We have no confidence in the incumbent VC regarding the Jucsu, senate, syndicate, and dean elections, as he had changed his decision to resign on February 13 this year."
Meanwhile, the JU Teachers' Association yesterday began a week-long work abstention demanding the VC's resignation.
Prof Ajit Kumar, president of the teachers' association, said they would go for an all-out strike from November 2, if the VC did not resign by October 31. The decision was made at a general meeting of the teachers' association on Wednesday.
Prof Anwar joined JU as its VC in May last year.
The crisis at the university began on April 6 when JU unit Bangladesh Chhatra League General Secretary Rajib Ahmed Rasel assaulted a teacher. The agitating teachers demanded Prof Anwar's removal for not expelling Rajib.
They also accused him of bias in teachers' appointments, ruining the campus by taking up unnecessary projects, and misusing funds.