Sixty six teachers of Dhaka University have protested the threats made to Professor ABM Faroque, former director of the university’s Biomedical Research Centre, for carrying out research on milk which yielded shocking revelations.
The teachers have given a statement on Monday (Jul 15), supporting Professor Faroque and censuring the verbal attack on him by several quarters.
On behalf of university teachers’ network, the statement was sent by Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism, Dr. Fahmidul Huq.
The statement read: “We have noticed with alarm that unlawful pressure is being created over a research by professor ABM Faroque.”
Professor Faroque is a noted professor and renowned researcher; with grant from a government institution, he carried out research and claimed to have found antibiotic in the milk marketed by different companies. After the findings of the research came out, some government bureaucrats have rebuked professor Faroque.
Professor Faroque found harmful antibiotic in a second run of tests and published the results for the benefit of the people; as a person with a sense of moral duty, he has done a favour to the nation.
The statement also said that the benchmark set by Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) 17 years ago is inadequate to assess the standard of current day milk.
BSTI does not have a system to identify antibiotics in milk and without professor Faroque’s research, this would have remained undetected.
If responsible figures carry on pressuring and using unacceptable language then researchers and teachers will lose interest in their work, and efforts to expand knowledge will become constricted, the statement added.
The teachers also expressed frustration since the university administration has failed to provide security to professor Faroque.
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