Teachers of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) yesterday decided to boycott classes till tomorrow protesting Monday's attack on their silent procession by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists.
The teachers from a 4-hour emergency meeting of their association in the morning gave a 36-hour ultimatum to the university high-ups for taking punitive actions against the attackers, and threatened to stage fresh protest if their demands are not met. More than 200 teachers joined the meeting at the university's microbiology lab gallery.
They however decided to continue their scheduled duties in examination halls considering the interest of the students.
A number of teachers in the meeting expressed their anger at the attack by the members of ruling Awami League backed student organisation.
At least three teachers were injured on Monday when Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists attacked a silent procession of teachers who were protesting the previous day's BCL attack on the proctor's residence.
The BAU authorities formed a five-member probe body headed by Prof Sultan Uddin Bhuiyan of the agronomy department to investigate the incident. The body has been asked to submit its report by Thursday.
In another development, a BCL delegation led by its central General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam, was on its way to BAU to inquire about the incident at the time of filing this report around 11:00pm yesterday.
"We will talk to the teachers as well as Chhatra League leaders to understand the incident. And, of course we will take effective organisational action against the Chhatra League activists who will be found guilty," Nazmul told The Daily Star.
On Sunday, two BCL activists were caught by university security officials when they were snatching a mobile phone set from some visitors on campus, and the snatchers were handed over to police, campus sources said.
Following the incident, over 100 BCL activists attacked the residence of BAU Proctor Dr Abu Hadi Noor Ali Khan on the campus. A section of teachers the next day brought out a silent procession on campus protesting the attack on the proctor's residence.
As the procession started parading through the campus streets, a group of BCL activists obstructed the procession and locked into an altercation with the teachers over the handing over of the two phone snatchers to police. At one stage some BCL men started to beat up the teachers.
Later, the BCL activists also ransacked the university's administrative building.
Teachers' Association President Prof Md Nazrul Islam presided over yesterday's meeting participated by association Secretary Prof Md Shamsul Alam, Dr Abu Hadi Noor Ali Khan, Prof Md Mustafizur Rahman and many others.
The newly appointed Vice-chancellor of BAU Rafiqul Haque, who is expected to take over the helm of the university today, told The Daily Star last night that he will discuss the incidents with the teachers to defuse the present crisis as soon as possible, and ensure effective action against the attackers based on recommendations of the probe committee.
BAU unit BCL General Secretary Rafiquzzaman Emon at a press conference however denied their involvement in the attack on teachers.
Emon said a vested quarter is trying to create anarchy on campus to destroy the image of BCL.
Source : The Daily Star
No comments:
Post a Comment