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Begum Rokeya University

Teachers’ rally under attack

7 hurt as acid from loudspeaker's battery splashes on them during attack allegedly by BCL men; university closed indefinitely

Our Correspondent, Rangpur
A group of outsiders, allegedly Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, yesterday attacked teachers and students of Begum Rokeya University at Rangpur, leaving seven teachers with burn injures from battery acid.
The public university was closed sine die following the incident.
Tuhin Wadud, a lecturer of Bangla department, and Motiur Rahman, associate professor of management department, were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital with burns to their eyes and faces.
The other teachers received minor injuries.
Sources said the teachers and students were on a movement demanding resignation of its vice-chancellor,
accusing him of being corrupt. They had a sit-in programme scheduled for yesterday in front of the administration building.
However, when they went there yesterday morning, they saw a stage with a Chhatra League banner for marking of the return of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the country on January 10,1972.
The teachers and students then started to move towards the academic building but the unidentified young men ambushed them. The attackers vandalised the loudspeakers and destroyed its battery.
The splashing battery acid got into the eyes of the two teachers and injured the others.
Golam Mostafa, director of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, said outer edges of the two teachers' eyes and faces were burnt but they were out of danger.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers did not belong to the university but they chanted slogans of
Bangladesh Chhatra League, a pro-ruling Awami League studentbody.
Injured teacher Tuhin Wadud said, “We know that the corrupt vice-chancellor engaged a huge number of criminals to throttle the movement. Despite that, we continued with our movement.”
Students claimed that the criminals, allegedly engaged by the vice-chancellor, also tried to obstruct them at different points in the city so that they could not join their demonstration programme on campus.
However, Rangpur district President of Chhatra League Dhanajit Ghosh Tapes told The Daily Star, "There is no committee [of Chhatra League] at Begum Rokeya University. So no Chhatra League men could be involved in the attack.”
Regarding the banner, he said, “It could be a trick of the VC [vice-chancellor] and his associates.”
Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Jalil Miah was in Dhaka and treasurer of the university Prof Mozammel Hoque
was in charge during the incident. The vice-chancellor returned to the campus last night and closed the university.
The students and teachers had gone for a fast-unto-death programme yesterday. They were sitting at a gate on the southern part of the campus until the university was closed.
However, Omar Faruk, lecturer of accounting and information system department, had earlier told The Daily Star that they would continue their programme until their demands are met and the vice-chancellor steps down.
Secretary Safiul Azam of Progressive Teachers Forum of the university told The Daily Star, “The anti-VC demonstration is unlawful and unjustified." Majority of the teachers were not behind the movement, he claimed.
Rangpur Awami League General Secretary Rezaul Karim Raju visited the campus in the afternoon and expressed solidarity with the teachers and students who had been attacked.