DU, JU teachers stand for professor Faroque
Teachers of Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University condemned the threat by a minister against DU biomedical researcher ABM Faroque, terming the threat ‘unwarranted’.
The associations also condemned the offensive speech and behaviour towards professor Faroque by an additional secretary during a recent televised talk show.
Faroque, a researcher and former director of Biomedical Research Centre of Dhaka University, underwent pressure and threats for his research that found presence of multiple antibiotic residues in both pasteurised and non-pasteurised packed milk of different brands.
In a press release issued by the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association on Tuesday, teachers said such threat and verbal attacks were unacceptable and would adversely affect research and exercising knowledge in universities.
They noted that findings of a research work could only be challenged by counter research.
Jahangirnagar University Teachers’ Association in a recent statement urged the government to punish the additional secretary for his verbal attacks on Faroque.
The association noted that the verbal abuse let down the entire teachers’ community.
Earlier on July 15, sixty-six teachers of different universities, under the banner University Teachers’ Network, condemned surge of verbal attack on Faroque by different quarters.
They called on the government to take effective steps to comply with the High Court order and to test milk samples available in markets and public the reports for the benefit of the people.
Faroque had carried out his responsibility as a teacher by conducting a research, they said.
Teachers said that Faroque did no unethical act by publishing his research results.
The signatories include Anu Muhammad, Geeti Ara Nasreen, Tasneem Siraj Mahboob, Kaberi Gayen, Fahmidul Haq and Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan.
On June 25, a group of DU researchers led by Faroque disclosed their findings of a study they just carried out, revealing adulteration in all the samples of milk and milk products, edible oil and spices they tested.
The samples included all the popular-brand ghee, fruit drinks, pepper powder, turmeric powder, palm oil, mustard oil, soya bean oil, and pasteurised and unpasteurised milk.
On July 13, the group revealed that they again detected multiple antibiotic residues in all the 10 samples of both pasteurised and non-pasteurised cow milk they had tested at a Dhaka University laboratory.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
