Cachar Police reopens Mirajul case: Professor-student relationship under scanner

A team of Cachar Police visited the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar on Wednesday (October 8) to investigate the link between some influential professors and Bangladeshi students. This is an old involving Mohammed Mirajul Islam Sayem, who ran a racket in NIT Silchar for years. The case diary, as per sources, includes an image of a professor receiving an envelope filled with cash from Sayem. The incident was first reported by Barak Bulletin on October 14, 2023 and then a follow-up on October 16, 2023.

While Sayem has completed his degree and moved on from the institution, Cachar Police is now investigating the involvement of professors, non-teaching staff and research scholars in the incident.

Cachar SSP Numal Mahatta confirmed to Barak Bulletin that the Police are investigating the matter, and a team led by the Additional SP of Cachar has indeed visited the institution. However, Cachar SSP Mahatta has refused to reveal further details into the matter.

However, sources close to the involvement informed that Cachar SSP Mahatta was very upset with the initial probe and therefore asked his team to reopen the case and begin a fresh investigation. The sources also reported that a photograph was submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office, complaining about an alleged incident outside the institution between the Dean and a student. The said professor has been issued a summon to report to the SP Office.

There is another rumour spreading thick and fast, recently five students were deported as they got involved in antisocial activities like assault, attempt to murder and illegal transportation and possession of marijuana. One of the five students suspended and deported belongs to the family of an influential individual in Bangladesh. According to sources in the NIT Silchar, one of the five students sent the picture to CMO Assam and questioned the leniency in Mirajul’s case and the harshness when it comes to them.

The incident, as reported by Barak Bulletin, came to light when 45 students complained on record against Mirajul Sayem. Some of the statements mentioned that Mirajul used to threaten other students from Bangladesh, stating that he is close to the Dean and so, he can dictate who gets how much marks in the exams. He also used to show a picture with the Dean to establish the connection. In fact, one student informed Barak Bulletin that the Dean in question actually ignored complaints on the official email ID of the Dean of Academics because of these close ties. The Dean, however, is a reputed professor and the picture in question was clicked at the mosque where Mirajul submitted an envelope filled with cash for the welfare of the newly built mosque in Fakirtilla. The Dean, back then, was head of the Mosque committee.

While financial transactions between a student and a professor must be strictly prohibited, it is worth mentioning here that the students always donated a certain amount to the NIT Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee, and the president of the Puja Committee, mostly, is always a professor. So, if a professor can collect donations as Durga Puja Committee president, why can’t another professor collect donations as Mosque Committee chairman? It is a fair and worthy question.

Actually, the Dean only came under the scanner when Mirajul started using it as his trump card. One of the students who submitted the statement to the investigating committee formed by NIT Silchar said, “He asked me to get naked and then have sex with the door. If I didn’t do so, he threatened that I would fail in examination. He always mentioned that he has a close tie with the Dean and could dictate who gets how much marks in the examination.” The same statement is there in the report that the committee submitted.

If sources are to be believed, the Dean in question shared examination papers with Research Scholars to check. One of the research scholars happened to be a close aide of Mirajul Sayem. The scholar made it mandatory for Bangladeshi students to fast and gather at the hostel for prayer. In fact, Barak Bulletin has got access to photographs confirming that the scholar and Mirajul Sayem were together at religious gatherings in Hailakandi. That scholar often obeyed Mirajul’s demands and marked accordingly.

Another close tie of Mirajul Sayem is with a non-teaching staff member who provided shelter to Sayem in times of worry. Mirajul bought gifts like soap, perfume and other expensive items for the non-teaching staff.

Though Mirajul Islam Sayam has moved on from NIT Silchar, Numal Mahatta reopening the investigation can unearth many skeletons.

“The Unbreakable Audacity: How a Bangladeshi Student Dominated NIT Silchar, ragged openly