Dhaka, July 19 (Just News): A group of public university teachers on Thursday joined a solidarity rally that protested against the recent attacks on students and teachers by the activists of ruling Awami League-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
They called BCL more ferocious than the erstwhile Pakistan dictator Ayub Khan’s student organisation National Students' Federation, or NSF, which had earned notoreity on the campus for power politics.
“Students were repressed during Ayub Khan's rule. NSF had then shown repressive attitude but did not beat up the students unlike BCL men do these days,” said retired teacher of International Relations at Dhaka University (DU) Akmal Hossain.
"The current regime is more dangerous than the NSF era on the campus," he told the rally in front of Aparajeyo Bangla of DU, organised under the banner of "Teachers against Repression".
More than 70 teachers from Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and around 300 students attended the rally. It was presided over by Gitiara Nasreen, a professor of Mass Communication and Journalism department at DU.
The teachers demanded immediate release of the leaders of the students' demonstration for reforms in the quota in public services.
“I've come here, to uphold my conscience. The autocratic ruler too had certain amount of shame, but this government does not have any. We're no more citizens, we have become subjects. Why are we not protesting against such injustice?” said professor of History department at DU Ahmed Kamal.
Professor Anu Muhammad of Jahangirnagar University was quoted by UNB as having said: "The quota reform movement is logical and ethically right. It's a protest against discrimination. But the government is illegally harassing the quota reformists. They are being detained without any warrant and remanded.”
"Some quota reform leaders were shown arrested for vandalising the residence of Dhaka University vice-chancellor. But we believe our students can't attack the VC's residence. So we hope the administration will not harass our students any more," he added.
Fahmidul Haq, a teacher of Mass Communication and Journalism department, said quota protesters are being attacked and harassed while teachers are being blamed for supporting the students and some are even being driven out of their campus.
“We are not being able to work in a safe environment. It’s been said that we are instigating the students, which is a blatant lie. We want safe environment on the campus. We would stand by our students as long as repression is there,” said Fahmidul Haq.
Gitiara Nasreen iterated the demands of students and teachers that include punishment of attackers on teachers and students, withdrawal of the cases filed against the students, immediate release of the detained students, ensuring safe campus and elections for student unions at institutions arcoss the country.
She announced a daylong cultural programme against repression in Bottala area of the Dhaka University campus to be held on 23 July. Associate professor of International Relations department Tanzimuddin Khan moderated the rally.
Professor MM Akash of Economics department, DU, said, "Now we are seeing dual administration at DU. One is the university authorities and another 'administration' is being run by some others who are torturing the common students at all dormitories."
"We tell the university administration, if you fail to control the torture of 'alternative administration', you have no right to cling on to power. You must quit," he added.
Professor CR Abrar of International Relations department, assistant professor Rushad Faridi of DU Economics department, associate professor Abdur Razzak Khan of Mass Communication and Journalism department, and assistant professor Samina Luthfa of Sociology department were there among the teachers.
After the rally they brought out a silent procession from Aparajeyo Bangla premises which paraded the campus.
(Justnews/ys/2320hr)
