Four teachers of Rajshahi University of Bangladesh has sentenced each to two years for breaching emergency powers rules. Additional chief judicial magistrate of Rajshahi Ruhul Amin handed down the verdict on Tuesday last. The teachers are- Professor of management department Malay Kumar Bhowmik and teachers of mass communication Selim Reza Newton, Dulal Chandra Biswas and Abdullah Al Mamun. All of them are very popular teacher of the university and high-level academician o the country. They have earned a name for themselves as teachers and intellectuals. In history of Bangladesh this is the first verdict against university teachers.
Reacting to the jail sentences, teachers across the nation said they were deeply concerned at this ‘unprecedented and unheard of’ court decision. Dhaka University (DU) teachers staged a silent demonstration Progressive political parties, students’ organizations and individuals also demanded immediate release of teachers.
Convicted teachers have protested when army personnel mercilessly beat three DU students on 20 August of This year. They were watching a soccer match on the university gymnasium ground where an army camp was situated.
To protesting this incident Thousands of Dhaka University students were demonstrating for demanding removal of army camp from the campus and an apology from the army for beating up three students. Police charged batons on the students from behind, injuring more then 100 including female student. To protest of army and police’s activities against students Much of Dhaka city turned into a battleground on 22 august.
Out of Dhaka students and teachers were protesting the incident of Dhaka University. In Rajshahi University campus thousands of students and teacher’s also took part of demonstrations.
In the aftermath of those demonstrations government filed case against teachers and students for break of state of emergency. A couple of days later, security forces arrested professors Saidur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan and Malay Kumar Bhowmik. On Aug 26, the local police chief filed a case against the arrestees charging them with instigating the students. On Sept 1, sub-inspector Nasir Uddin of Motihar Police Station pressed charges in the court against the six teachers. Dulal Chandra Biswas, Selim Reza Newton and Abdullah Al Mamun surrendered before the court and the court sent them to prison. Charges were framed in the case on Sept 17 and 20 witnesses testified until Nov 14 and verdict on Dec 6.
The court acquitted former vice chancellor of the university Saidur Rahman Khan and applied physics teacher Abdus Sobhan of the charges.
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