Banner Advertiser

Thursday, January 17, 2008

[mukto-mona] Write Up about DU teachers in The Daily Star

Check the article related to the DU detainees in the today's Daily Star
 
Thanks
 
 
 
 
 
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Friday, January 18, 2008 04:42 AM GMT+06:00  
 
Point Counterpoint
Country expects immediate release of DU detainees
Ripan Kumar Biswas

According to their decision on January 15, with full support of general students, regarding the release of teachers and students in connection with violating Emergency Power Rules (EPR) on August 20-22, 2007, Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) decided not to hold any admission tests at the University until all the arrested Dhaka University (DU) teachers and students were freed. Two of the four admission tests for nine DU faculties have been held, while two admission tests of Kha and Gha units are scheduled for February 1 and 8, 2008.

Apart from the announced programme of not holding admission tests, the teachers will go for a three-hour token hunger strike at Aparajeya Bangla on January 21, a solidarity rally of teachers, students and guardians on January 23, and the hoisting of black flags if all the detainees are not released by January 23. They will also raise funds for the treatment of injured students, and send a letter to the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council to cancel the registration of a jail physician who assaulted a student when he sought treatment.

However, responding to the questions of reporters on the ongoing protests at Dhaka University for unconditional release of teachers and students, Major General (Retd) M.A. Matin, who has just assumed office as adviser to the home affairs ministry, requested DU teachers and students not to take any tougher agitation programmes as, according to him, the government was also eager to solve the case immediately and was working on it. In a talk show on a satellite TV channel in Bangladesh, the chief of Bangladesh Army, General Moeen U Ahmed, described the teachers as respected personalities and the students as being dear to everyone, and hoped that the government would work out a solution to the Dhaka University issue.

Even though the government is repeatedly giving assurance and sympathy, and showing respect towards all of the detainees and their families, well wishers, friends and colleagues by saying that initiatives have already been taken for a graceful solution, there was no sign of a government move to release the DU detainees till writing of this article.

The recent comment made by Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman at a media briefing that the detainees would be freed "within the next few days, whatever the court verdict might be" was not clear enough about how they would be freed, whereas Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff told journalists on January 15 that they would not be released before the completion of the trial.

After such comments from the advisers, former president of Duta, Prof A.A.M.S. Arefin Siddique, said that nobody was feeling assured that the detainees would be freed in a dignified manner any time soon. "A repetition of the Rajshahi University incident, where the detained Rajshahi University teachers were freed after conviction by a court followed by a presidential pardon for them, might make the situation more complicated and might not be acceptable to all," said Arefin. He urged the government to withdraw all the cases against them, which would be dignified for the government and the detainees too, leading to easing of the tension between the government and the university.

According to his son, Sanjeeb Hossain, detained Prof Anwar Hossain, who is the general secretary of Duta, categorically protested the education adviser's statement and expressed deep apprehension that the incident of Rajshahi University was about to be repeated in Dhaka. Pointing at the contradiction embedded in the newly appointed education adviser's statement, the detained professor told the court that the adviser was in "contempt of court" by making such a statement. He further added that he would go for legal action if the court verdict went against him, rather than asking for mercy from the government.

Expressing deep concern over the issue, US Senator Edward M Kennedy, in a letter to the government through the Bangladesh ambassador in Washington on October 26, urged the caretaker government to release all teachers, students and employees of Dhaka University and Rajshahi University detained in connection with student protests in August 21-22, 2007. Their arrests were made in connection with student protests and they have not been charged with any crime.

An immediate, and unconditional gesture should now be coming from the government to release all those detained in connection with the DU incident, and all cases relating to that incident must be withdrawn if normalcy is to be restored on the campus.

Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in New York.
 

__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190



Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___