Teachers end class boycott after being assured of action

The teachers of Bangladesh Agricultural University at Mymensingh on Sunday called off their boycott of classes and examinations after the authorities agreed to take punitive action against the offenders after holding investigation into physical assaults on them by the activists of Chhatra League, the student front of ruling Awami League.

The BAU Teachers' Association, at a meeting, took the decision to call off the boycott following the assurance from the authorities.

A new probe body sought three more days to investigate into the incident of beating the teachers by the Chhatra League activists. It was scheduled to submit its report on Sunday.

A previous committee could not even proceed to start the investigation against the erring activists of Chhatra League, who did not hesitate to beat the teachers on the campus.

The teachers withdrew the boycott expressing the confidence that the new probe body would be able to hold the investigation and submit its report non August 17, said BAUTA general secretary professor Shamsul Alam, after the meeting held at the gallery of the Microbiology Department.

But, he said, the teachers would take the classes and exa-minations wearing black badg-es until and unless the offenders were brought to book.

Over 200 teachers attended the meeting.

'We need more time to objectively investigate into the incident,' said professor Mohammed Shamsuddin, the probe body chief.

He said that the probe committee already visited the spots and collected evidence of the attack by the Chhatra League activists on the teachers.

'We will submit out report on Wednesday,' he said.

The vice chancellor, Md. Rafiqul Hoque, said, 'We will take exemplary action against the guilty on the basis of probe committee report.'

 He said, 'I think this issue will be closed very soon as we are trying our best to solve it carefully.'

The Chhatra League activists assaulted the teachers on Monday after the proctor handed over two Chhatra League activists, Noor Moham-mad and 'Arif', to the Katwali police station for snatching a cell phone of a visitor at the university's botanical garden.

Chhatra League activists smashed proctor Abu Hadi Noor Ali's car on the night of August 8 after he handed over the two BCL activists to the police.

They also gathered outside his residence and hurled abusive words at him.

In protesting against their behavior, the teachers' association held an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon and took out a silent procession from the Central Library of the university and when it reached the Agriculture Faculty Building, Chhatra League activists gathered there and started arguing with the teachers over the action taken against the two offenders.

At one stage, Chhatra League activists physically attacked the teachers leaving at least 20 teachers injured.

The Chhatra League activists also vandalised the Administrative Building and a university bus and set two motorbikes on fire.

On Tuesday the teachers decided to boycott the classes and examinations in protest against the assaults on them by the BCL activists.

On August 8, Chhatra League held a protest rally demanding release of the offenders and threatened to boycott classes and examinations unless they were set free within 72 hours.

The BCL activists withdrew their ultimatum on Wednesday after the BCL central committee general secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam met them.

Alam had gone to BAU from Dhaka to inquire into the incident.

A four-member probe committee constituted on Monday headed by professor Md. Jasimuddin Khan of Animal Nutrition Department could not hold the investigation due to some personal problems.

Later, the vice chancellor appointed a new four -members probe committee headed by professor Mohammed Shamsuddin of Surgery and Obstetrics Department and asked it to submit its report on Sunday.

The police later arrested Ahsan Habib, a student of agriculture faculty on August 10 for beating the teachers.

Source : New Age

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