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Fresh probe into Aug 20-22 DU unrest demanded

Rakib Ahammed
The teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU), who were tortured by the law enforcement agencies in connection with the August 20-22 student unrest in 2007 on the campus, demanded reinvestigation into the incident and trial for injustice which were done to them.
Talking to The Daily Star, two DU professors and students, who were behind bars for over four months on different charges in connection with the incident, demanded that the "real culprits" behind the atrocities be identified and punished.
"I demand that the real culprits of torturing students and teachers be punished," said Prof Anwar Hossain, who was tortured by law enforcers while on remand.
Prof Sadrul Amin, another oppressed teacher, said, "I hope that the real culprits, who were involved in the
process of torturing teachers and students, would be identified."
In the evening on August 20, 2007, thousands of students staged a storm of protest after few army personnel beat up a student during a football match on the DU central playground. Their angry demonstrations continued for three days, triggering nationwide protests by students of different education institutions.
The three-day student unrest came to a halt with curfews in all divisional cities.
The dormitories of all public universities and colleges in the cities were vacated and the institutions ordered to close sine die.
In the early hours on August 23, members of law enforcement agencies picked two professors up from their campus residences and they were tortured while on remand. Huridfc^ of shid'erifs were’ also tortured at different
messes near the campus, bus and train stations on that night.
Protesting law enforcers' atrocities on teachers and students, the DU administration, teachers, students and officials would observe "University Black Day" today.
They would wear black badges, hold rallies and brought out processions on the campus. Classes would remain stop for two hours (from 11:00am to 1:00pm] today.
Preferring anonymity, an MBA student of DU, who was tortured on August 23, 2007, said, "Some army personnel picked me up from a mess near the campus and tortured me for seven days in a camp. 1 became too scared. Now I demand trial for the injustice done to me.”
Four teachers and eight students were put behind bars in connection with the incident. They, however, were’'released in January' 2008 in the wake of silent and
peaceful movements by students.
Prof Anwar said, “We stood beside our helpless students. We were innocent and it has been proved in court. But torture came down heavily on us.”
In an appeal to the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry, oppressed teachers demanded reinvestigation into the unrest and punishment to the masterminds, he added.
The standing committee has recommended the authorities concerned to reinvestigate the incident. It also condemned the torture came on teachers and students.
After two years of the incident, seven students are still facing an army car torching case, while five other cases were either withdrawn or disposed of.he accused sfudents'demahded withdrawal of the cases.