An admit card for a lecturer recruitment exam at Rajshahi University (RU), bearing a reference from a former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, has sparked controversy after it was unintentionally shared via the Facebook Story of the university’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Farid Uddin Khan.
The card belonged to Azmira Arefin, a candidate for the position of Lecturer in the Department of Crop Science and Technology. Handwritten in English on the card was the line: “Reference: Md Latifur Rahman, Ex MP, Chapainawabganj.”
The interview for the position is scheduled to be held at 10:00 AM on Monday at the Vice Chancellor’s office.
Latifur Rahman, mentioned in the reference, is a former Member of Parliament from Chapainawabganj-3 and a former Nayeb-e-Ameer of the district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami. He was elected to the national parliament in 1986 and again in 1991 as a candidate of the party.
The incident gained attention after the admit card was posted from the personal Facebook account of Professor Farid Uddin Khan on Saturday night.
In response, he issued a statement on Facebook expressing regret and claiming the upload was accidental.
He explained that his son had been playing games on his phone, which might have led to the story being posted unknowingly.
“Every day, applicants or their contacts come with CVs and admit cards or send them via WhatsApp or text,” the professor said, adding that he receives numerous recommendations from alumni, colleagues, friends, students, and even politicians. He acknowledged that the former MP had recently contacted him about a candidate from his constituency and forwarded the admit card.
However, the Pro-VC clarified that such recommendations do not influence the written or oral examination process. He expressed regret over the Facebook Story incident and urged the public not to misunderstand the situation.
