Ex-Begum Rokeya University VC Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah Arrested

Professor Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, the former Vice-Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University (BRU), has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the police.

The arrest was confirmed by Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Media and Public Relations Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

“There was a requisition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in connection with a case under investigation regarding corruption allegations. Based on that requisition, a DB operation was conducted, and the former Vice-Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, was arrested from his residence in Mohammadpur,” the Deputy Commissioner said.

He further added that procedures are underway to hand him over to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Arrest Linked to Ongoing Corruption Case

According to the Detective Branch, Dr Kalimullah has been formally shown as arrested in an ACC-initiated case.

On 18 June, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against five individuals, including former Vice-Chancellor Kalimullah, for their alleged involvement in misappropriating development funds of Begum Rokeya University.

Allegations Detailed in the Case

The First Information Report (FIR) filed by the ACC outlines several charges:

• The accused are alleged to have conspired collectively to embezzle government funds allocated for university development.
• Without adhering to the approved Development Project Proposal (DPP), they altered the original designs of the project.
• Contracts exceeding Tk 30 crore were signed without prior approval from the Ministry.
• Moreover, the accused allegedly deposited withheld security guarantees from contractors’ running bills into Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDR) in banks.
• Subsequently, these FDRs were used as lien collateral, and the accused issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for contractors to receive loans against them.
• Through these manipulations, approximately Tk 4 crore (40 million Taka) was embezzled from the state treasury.

Overview of the Allegations

Current Status

The former Vice-Chancellor remains in custody, and formal handover procedures to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are underway. Further legal action is expected following the investigation.

The incident has sparked renewed debate over accountability in public university administration and misuse of development funds in higher education institutions across the country.