Azharul Islam Sheikh
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Azharul Islam Sheikh Chanchal is a Bangladeshi academic and the Dean of the
Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...
of the
University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...
. He is a professor of the department of ceramics at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Dhaka.


Early life

Sheikh completed his PhD at the
University of Rajshahi The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 departments are or ...
.


Career

Sheikh participated in the 11th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh in January 2004, held at the
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (; ) or simply known as Shilpakala Academy is the principal state-sponsored national cultural centre of Bangladesh. It is a academy of fine and performing arts. History It is the national academy of fine and pe ...
. Sheikh, as a newly recruited teacher at the Institute of Fine Arts, was among four faculty members who, alongside
Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal (; abbreviated as JCD), popularly known as Chatradal or Chatra Dal, is a Bangladeshi student organisation affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Many of the top BNP leaders and policy-makers today we ...
activists, attacked protesting students at the Institute of Fine Arts in June 2005. Armed with bamboo sticks, Azharul and his colleagues physically assaulted students, including slapping and punching female protesters. The attack, aimed at dispersing demonstrations against the vice chancellor and proctor, resulted in severe injuries, with some students reportedly missing. The Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal later took responsibility for the violence, justifying it as retaliation. This incident occurred amid growing concerns over declining academic standards at the University of Dhaka. In February 2024, Sheikh did a solo exhibition of his sculptures at Mrittikanjali at Zainul Gallery 1. He dedicated the exhibition to the martyrs of the
Bengali Language Movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...
and the
Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...
. After the fall of the
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...
led
Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...
government, Sheikh condemned the attacks and vandalism of sculptures throughout Bangladesh. The Dean of the
Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...
of the
University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...
, Professor Nisar Hossain, and the dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Abdul Bachir, were forced to resign by the
Students Against Discrimination Students Against Discrimination () is a platform of Student activism, student activists in Bangladesh formed in 2024 during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, nationwide student-led quota reform movement. The group was involved in the R ...
for supporting the previous government and preventing the Quran recitation program at the campus. After his resignation, students performed Quran recitations and prayers. Sheikh was then appointed dean of the faculty of fine arts. The 26th batch of the Faculty of Fine Arts boycotted the
Mangal Shobhajatra Mangal Shobhajatra, officially titled as Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra, is a mass procession that takes place at dawn on the first day of the Bengali New Year in Bangladesh. The procession is organised by the teachers and students of the Fa ...
in 2025 due to it being politicalized, which Sheikh denied. The event would include 20-foot sculpture of Abu Sayeed, who died in protests against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhuyan, Md Aminul Haque Living people University of Dhaka alumni Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Bangladeshi artists University of Rajshahi alumni