How the ‘Chowdhury family’ took control of a university

Despite being established with the funding and land of the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), Premier University has been out of its control for the past nine years.

Due to the political influence of the family of the late ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, former president of the Metropolitan Awami League, CCC lost control of the university. After taking control, the institution was subjected to alleged financial exploitation for eight years.

However, CCC is now taking a stand, having sent a letter to the Ministry of Education seeking to regain control.

According to CCC sources, the organization was managing several primary and secondary educational institutions in Chittagong.

Based on this, they decided to establish a university to open doors for higher education in the city.

On December 5, 2001, CCC applied to the Ministry of Education for approval to establish the university, which was granted on January 21, 2002.

The CCC spent over Tk46.93 crore from its own funds to build three buildings on its land at Probortok Mor and WASA Mor for the university.

ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury served as mayor of Chittagong City Corporation for three consecutive terms from 1994 to 2010.

During his tenure, Premier University was established in 2002, and as per regulations, the mayor was designated as the chairman of the university’s trustee board.

Mohiuddin held this position until 2010. After losing the mayoral election in 2010 to Mohammad Manjur Alam, Mohiuddin also lost his position as the chairman of the trustee board.

However, as a gesture of respect, Mayor Manjur Alam nominated him as a member of the trustee board. During this period, Mohiuddin began claiming the university as his own.

After AJM Nasir Uddin, a political rival of Mohiuddin Chowdhury, was elected mayor, disputes arose over the ownership of Premier University.

On July 14, 2015, the University Grants Commission (UGC) addressed a letter to the new mayor, Nasir Uddin, asking him to fill the vacant positions on the trustee board, including those of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, and treasurer.

UGC also instructed that the trustee board be formed according to the law.

However, Mohiuddin Chowdhury challenged the validity of this letter, filing a petition in the High Court in December 2015.

The court ordered that Mohiuddin should not be obstructed from participating in university activities until the rule was resolved.

On June 12, 2016, the High Court rejected Mohiuddin’s petition, stating that CCC did not have the authority to establish a university as per the Chittagong City Corporation Ordinance-1982 and the Private University Act-1992.

The court’s observation was later reviewed, and in May 2017, the High Court ruled that the observation would not apply to any party.

However, Mohiuddin's petition to appeal this decision was dismissed on January 7, 2019, due to his absence in the hearing.

Despite this, Nasir Uddin was not reinstated as the trustee board chairman.

Following Mohiuddin’s death on December 15, 2017, his son Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel became the deputy minister of education in 2019.

Using his influence, Nowfel appointed members of the trustee board according to his preference.

Under pressure from the party’s high command, Nasir was forced to relinquish control of Premier University, and Nowfel took over as chairman of the trustee board, effectively taking control of the university.

On August 5 of this year, after the fall of Hasina government, CCC initiated efforts to reclaim ownership of the university.

On September 5, CCC’s chief executive, Sheikh Mohammad Touhidul Islam, sent a letter to the senior secretary of the Ministry of Secondary and Higher Education requesting the return of the university's control to CCC.

The letter argued that Premier University had always been under CCC’s control, and that late Mohiuddin Chowdhury had wrongfully taken over the university by appointing himself as the trustee board chairman.

The letter also mentioned that students had submitted a written request for CCC to regain full control of the university.

Currently, the university is under the control of the Chowdhury family, with Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury as chairman, and other family members and associates, including his mother Hasina Mohiuddin and brother Borhanul Hasan Chowdhury, serving as trustees.

Despite the fall of the government, none of the current trustee board members can be reached, as their phone numbers are unavailable.

Professor Anupam Sen has been serving as the university's vice-chancellor for 16 years, even though the law states that a person over the age of 75 cannot hold the position. Now 84, he remains in office, and there is a student movement demanding his removal, while another faction supports him staying.

The university has six faculties and 14 departments, with more than 6,000 students, over 100 teachers, and 300 staff members. Its annual budget is around Tk71 crore.

On Friday, students held a press conference demanding that Premier University be returned to CCC’s control.

In the press conference, student leaders accused Mohiuddin Chowdhury of turning the university into personal property.

They called for investigations into corruption and financial irregularities, and urged for quick resolution of land disputes and the establishment of a permanent campus.

They also demanded transparency in the recruitment of teachers and staff according to UGC regulations.