ARAFAT RAHAMAN

Several public universities have lately been shaken by incidents in which teachers were harassed, confined to their offices, or even assaulted by student leaders over alleged links to the previous regime, with the authorities failing to prevent the recurrence of such untoward events.

Educationists have termed the incidents “unexpected and unacceptable”, while student leaders involved in the incidents have defended their actions as efforts to hold “corrupt teachers” accountable for their “past misconduct”.

The latest incident unfolded at Chittagong University (CU) on January 10, when several CU Central Students’ Union (Cucsu) leaders, elected from the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Sampritir Shikkharthi Jote panel, forcibly took an assistant professor to the proctor’s office over alleged ties with the Awami League regime.

While the teacher, Hasan Mohammad Roman from the law faculty, was supervising an admission test, a group of Cucsu leaders grabbed him. In a video clip, they were seen dragging him onto a rickshaw to take him to the proctor’s office.

The students accused Roman, a former assistant proctor, of filing cases against protesters during the July mass uprising and maintaining ties with the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, said campus sources.

Roman, however, refuted the allegations.

The student leaders, seen in the clip, include Cucsu Office Secretary Abdullah Al Noman; Library and Cafeteria Secretary Masum Billah; Career Development Secretary Mehedi Hasan Sohan; Law and Human Rights Secretary Fazle Rabbi Towhid; Executive Member Sohanur Rahman; Co-communication and Housing Secretary Obaidul Salman; and Assistant Student Welfare Secretary Jannatul Ferdaus Rita.

When contacted, Cucsu General Secretary Sayeed Bin Habib, also international and human rights secretary of Shibir’s CU unit, said, “No teacher was harassed. Those accused of involvement in killings are being described simply as teachers in attempts to shield them.”

He alleged that Roman abused his position as assistant proctor in the past and expelled students, labelling them as “militants”.

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