Teachers feel insecure as BCL activists become violent
eachers 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.
http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/frontpage/30242.html
BCL confines, assaults teachers in CU, RU
Activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League's associate body of students, on Tuesday confined the proctor and a hall provost in Rajshahi Univeristy, assaulted a hall provost in Chittagong University and locked up the academic building in Noakhali University of Science and Technology.
In Chittagong, a group of Chhatra League activists assaulted the Shahjalal Hall provost in his office on Tuesday morning as the hall authorities did not observe National Mourning Day on Monday.
In Rajshahi University, Chhatra League activists confined the proctor and the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall provost in the provost's office on Tuesday as the hall authorities did not invite especially activists to an iftar party marking National Mourning Day.
In Noakhali University of Science and Technology, a faction of Chhatra League locked up the academic building and damaged the windows of the Shahid Abdus Salam Hall demanding punishment of the people responsible for an incident of infighting on the campus on May 24 that involved its rival faction.
The New Age correspondent in Chittagong University said that a group of activists of the university unit Chhatra League locked up the room of the provost of the Shahjalal Hall provost, Salamat Ullah, and started fire with tyres when they laid siege to the hall office about 10:00am.
Witnesses said that a Chhatra League group, led by Abu Sayed, had gone to the provost's room and assaulted him. The university's provost body with the help of the police later rescued the provost
The university unit Chhatra League's joint secretary Mohammed Mamun said that the hall authorities had planned no programme marking National Mourning Day although the university had decided to observe the day. The hall authorities did not fly the national flag at half-mast on the day, he added.The provost could not be reached for his comments.The university's assistant proctor Ali Haidar said that the Chhatra League had also submitted a memorandum to the authorities in protest at the hall authorities' not observing the day.
The correspondent in Rajshahi said that the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall unit Chhatra League in Rajshahi University had on Tuesday confined the hall provost for two hours as the provost did not invite them to an iftar party.
Witnesses said that leaders and activists of the hall unit Chhatra League confined the hall provost, SA Haidar, to his office. The activists also confined the proctor, Chowdhury Muhammad Zakaria, when he went there to rescue the provost, hall students said.
The Chhatra League activists also shouted slogans against the proctor and the provost and demanded that the provost should be removed.After two hours, the university unit Chhatra League president, Ahmed Ali, and the general secretary, Abu Hossain, went to the hall and rescued the two university officials.
The hall unit Chhatra League complained that the authorities had favoured Chhatra Shibir activists and had not invited them to the iftar party.The provost said that the ruling party men had wanted his removal as they were not invited especially.
The proctor told New Age that they would look into the matter.The New Age correspondent in Noakhali said that a Chhatra League faction, led by Monjurul Islam Mohsin, locked up academic the building of Noakhali University of Science and Technology and damaged the windows of the Shahid Abdus Salam Hall on Tuesday.
They also created obstructed the semester examinations scheduled for Tuesday in protest at 'a move of the authorities to protect the members of another group who are responsible for a clash on the campus on May 24.'
The police rushed in and controlled the situation.
The vice-chancellor, AKM Saydul Hoque Chowdhury, said, 'We have set up committee to investigate the May 24 incident.''Action will be taken in keeping with what the committee recommends. But a section of student locked the academic building claiming the punishment of the accuses student,' he added.
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