NSU students blame media and varsity authorities

People look at us suspiciously, they say

Students of North South University (NSU), a renowned private university of the country, blame the media and the university authorities for highlighting the name of the university in connection with the recent acts of terrorism and militancy.
The students feel that both are equally responsible for tarnishing the image of the university, for which they are facing various problems in society.
They asked the authorities to remain alert so that no student or teacher of the university gets involved in militant activities. They also suggested that the NSU authorities should strengthen relations with the media and other stakeholders by holding workshops and seminars on current issues, to restore the good image of the university.       
According to media reports, till now, 26 students and teachers of the NSU have been involved in acts of terrorism and militancy. On 14 February, 2013, the names of seven students of the university came to light in connection with the killing of blogger Rajib Haider. On March 1, 2013, five NSU students were arrested. 
Later, following the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks, the NSU came in for much criticism. NSU students were even among those killed in the Kalyanpur operation. Shuvo, a student of the university, told this correspondent last week that they are facing problems after the gruesome attacks at Gulshan and on the faithful during Eid prayers at Sholakia, since students of the university were involved in these militant attacks.   
“After the attacks, people look at us suspiciously as if we are militants. Militancy is now a global problem, but our media reports incidents as if all militants are in the NSU. This is unfortunate,” he said.
Shuvo, who felt embarrassed to mention his department's name, blamed the NSU authorities for their failure to find out culprits involved in the recent attacks.     
Most of the students and teachers of the country’s first private university feel uneasy after learning that some NSU students were indeed involved.
Tahmina, another NSU student, said: “After the militant attacks, we have to face mixed reactions at various levels of our social life. Many want to know whether all the NSU students are IS supporters.”
She said people should not judge the whole university by the actions of a few students. 
“We feel embarrassed when we meet people outside the campus. Even our family members are not happy, thinking that their child reads in a university that is being criticised by the world,” an English Department student of NSU, told The Independent. 
He did not want to be named.    “There are 20,000 students, but only a few misled people are involved,” he added.
Khaled Mahmud, another NSU student, said: “We want the reputation of our campus restored, and for this, we have become conscious. We are watching the behaviour of students. If we find anything unusual, we will report it to our teachers."
"All of us are not responsible for the present situation. All do not cherish the ideology of militants. They are a few in number. We hate militants and their ideals. A few months ago, people praised the campus and its students for advanced learning. But now, I feel embarrassed when someone asks me about my academic institution. It's becoming tough to convince people that the university is not manufacturing militants,” he added. 
In response to the University Grants Commission's (UGC's) call to form a human chain in educational institutions to protest against militant attacks, NSU teachers and students organised a human chain programme in front of the campus yesterday. They carried banners and placards which read: “Come under the banner of peace tolerance & diversity”, “Terrorism is not heroism”, and “Islam forbids the killing of innocent people,” among others.
Vice-chancellor Prof Atiqul Islam said: “We are determined to do everything to bring back the NSU’s glorious reputation. Some are misinterpreting Islam and brainwashing young people.”
 

 

NSU students blame media and varsity authorities

People look at us suspiciously, they say

Students of North South University (NSU), a renowned private university of the country, blame the media and the university authorities for highlighting the name of the university in connection with the recent acts of terrorism and militancy. The students feel that both are equally responsible for tarnishing the image of the university, for which they are facing various problems in society. They asked the authorities to remain alert so that no student or teacher of the university gets involved in militant activities. They also suggested that the NSU authorities should strengthen relations with the media and other stakeholders by holding workshops and seminars on current issues, to restore the good image of the university. According to media reports, till now, 26 students and teachers of the NSU have been involved in acts of terrorism and militancy. On 14 February, 2013, the names of seven students of the university came to light in connection with the killing of blogger Rajib Haider. On March 1, 2013, five NSU students were arrested. Later, following the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks, the NSU came in for much criticism. NSU students were even among those killed in the Kalyanpur operation. Shuvo, a student of the university, told this correspondent last week that they are facing problems after the gruesome attacks at Gulshan and on the faithful during Eid prayers at Sholakia, since students of the university were involved in these militant attacks. After the attacks, people look at us suspiciously as if we are militants. Militancy is now a global problem, but our media reports incidents as if all militants are in the NSU. This is unfortunate, he said. Shuvo, who felt embarrassed to mention his departments name, blamed the NSU authorities for their failure to find out culprits involved in the recent attacks. Most of the students and teachers of the countrys first private university feel uneasy after learning that some NSU students were indeed involved. Tahmina, another NSU student, said: After the militant attacks, we have to face mixed reactions at various levels of our social life. Many want to know whether all the NSU students are IS supporters. She said people should not judge the whole university by the actions of a few students. We feel embarrassed when we meet people outside the campus. Even our family members are not happy, thinking that their child reads in a university that is being criticised by the world, an English Department student of NSU, told The Independent. He did not want to be named. There are 20,000 students, but only a few misled people are involved, he added. Khaled Mahmud, another NSU student, said: We want the reputation of our campus restored, and for this, we have become conscious. We are watching the behaviour of students. If we find anything unusual, we will report it to our teachers. All of us are not responsible for the present situation. All do not cherish the ideology of militants. They are a few in number. We hate militants and their ideals. A few months ago, people praised the campus and its students for advanced learning. But now, I feel embarrassed when someone asks me about my academic institution. Its becoming tough to convince people that the university is not manufacturing militants, he added. In response to the University Grants Commissions (UGCs) call to form a human chain in educational institutions to protest against militant attacks, NSU teachers and students organised a human chain programme in front of the campus yesterday. They carried banners and placards which read: Come under the banner of peace tolerance diversity, Terrorism is not heroism, and Islam forbids the killing of innocent people, among others. Vice-chancellor Prof Atiqul Islam said: We are determined to do everything to bring back the NSUs glorious reputation. Some are misinterpreting Islam and brainwashing young people.