Islamic University (IU) Proctor Shahinuzzaman has drawn widespread criticism after a video emerged of him holding a lit cigarette while leading an anti-drug drive on campus.
The footage, which recently went viral on Facebook, shows the proctor accompanied by members of the proctorial body during the operation with a burning cigarette in his hand.
The proctorial body, along with journalists working at the university and security cell officials, conducted the anti-drug drive on Friday around 7:30pm.
The team searched various campus locations, including Diana Chattar, Jhal Chattar, the surroundings of academic buildings, the corner of the central cricket field, Peyara Bagan, the female dormitory area, and the IU Lake.
The video of the drive, showing the proctorial body questioning students at different locations while the proctor held a lit cigarette, quickly sparked intense discussion and criticism among university teachers and students.
An anonymous student questioned the justification of the drive, saying, “What will students learn when a proctor openly holds a cigarette during an anti-drug raid? If the anti-drug raider holds a substance equivalent to drugs in their hand, I see no logic in conducting such an anti-drug drive. Teachers must refrain from smoking in public”.
Another student sarcastically remarked, “His raid was truly eye-catching. He understood the importance of an anti-drug drive that he went to the field with a lit cigarette. A fire has to be lit—whether at the tip of a cigarette or against drugs. But seeing this ‘smoky raid’, I could not understand if he came to eradicate drugs from the campus or was simply looking for a safe, eco-friendly spot to puff his cigarette”.
When asked about the outcome of the drive, University Security Officer Mijanur Rahman said that the raid was a regular activity carried out under the proctor’s instructions.
He confirmed that no drugs were recovered during the drive.
Contacted for comment, Shahinuzzaman said, “Such drives are conducted regularly, but yesterday we carried it out with extra emphasis. The drive will continue”. He, however, declined to comment on whether he was holding a cigarette in the video.
