Teachers of some public universities and university colleges have said that they feel insecure as some leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League's associate body of students, have become 'violent' in recent times.
They have said that they feared attacks from Chhatra League activists during the forthcoming session for admission to the educational institutions.
Authorities of the universities and the University Grants Commission have become 'concerned' about an increased number of attacks by Chhatra League activists on teachers, the UGC chair, AK Azad Chowdhury, told New Age on Tuesday.
'The recent violence is alarming. Teachers across the country now feel insecure,' said Ferdous Hossain, who is a former secretary to the Dhaka University Teachers' Association.
Chhatra League leaders generally take money from admission seekers and ask teachers to have them admitted to the institutions, teachers alleged. And the leaders of the organisation attack the teachers if they do not agree to have the students admitted, they added.
It has become a regular phenomenon and it is likely to surface once again as the admission process in public universities and colleges is about to begin, they said.
Teachers of university colleges are most vulnerable to attacks at admission time, they added.
At least 20 teachers of the Bangladesh Agricultural University became injured when Chhatra League activists attacked them on August 8.
The university proctor, Abu Hadi Noor Ali, came to be attacked after he had handed over to the police two students held on suspicion of being involved in mugging in the botanical garden of the university.
Teachers then had not taken classes and given examinations for a couple of days demanding punishment of the attackers.
The University of Chittagong proctor, Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, and three assistant proctors Mohammad Monjur Morshed, Mohammad Moinul Islam and Shipak Krishna Devnath submitted to authorities their resignation on August 1, over 'misconduct' by groups of Chhatra League activists. They, however, withdrew their resignation after a meeting with the authorities.
Chhatra League activists on February 18 ransacked the office of Hossain Kabir, the provost of the Alaol Hall in Chittagong Univeristy and damaged valuables over the distribution of seats in the hall.
On August 13, Chhatra League activists foiled the examinations for teacher's recruitment at the SD Degree College at Kotchandpur in Jhenaidah. The activists beat up the college principal, Amal Kumar Ghosh.
On May 22, a teacher of chemistry at the Government Bangla College at Mirpur in Dhaka was attacked by Chhatra League activists during the HSC admission test.
Rubel Hawlader, organisational secretary of the college unit Chhatra League, pushed the teacher down the staircase from the first floor in a college building as he did not agree to have students of their choice admitted.
Chhatra League activists at the time also threatened several teachers of Dhaka College. 'They told me that no one can save me if I do not have their candidates admitted,' one of the teachers said.
The National University's pro-vice-chancellor Tofail Ahmad Chowdhury, however, defended the Chhatra League activists.
Students are not always responsible for such incidents, he said. 'There is no reason to think that teachers are always innocent.'
He, however, said that students, whoever they are, should not have taken the law into their own hands.
When asked why they have not taken action, he said, 'It is not possible for us to rush in where students confine teachers. We take disciplinary action against students when we are informed of such matters.'
Former DUTA general secretary Ferdous said that incidents of violence against teachers was increasing as the attackers were not punished. 'If we cannot stop such violence against teachers, academic activities in universities will be affected,' he added.
The DUTA president, Anwar Hossain, said that the teachers should also have a role to play in not being attacked.
'I strongly condemn attacks on teachers in the Bangladesh Agricultural University. But I saw in a photograph published in newspapers that a teacher was holding a student hanging from the belt. A teacher cannot do this,' he said.
He said that investigators also need to find out whether there was any provocation from the teachers in the BAU incident. He, however, said that authorities needed to ensure punishment of attackers.
The UGC chair Azad said that any students found involved in such violence would be expelled from the university.
Source : New Age
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