Education hampered, protests against attack on Nurul continue
Ershad Kamol and Arifur Rahman
Repeated attacks on students by the ruling party-backed student organisation and no punishment to the attackers in most cases reflect a culture of impunity in the society and hampering academic atmosphere at public universities across Bangladesh.
The attacks also reflect the intolerance and repressive attitude of the ruling Awami League to suppress freedom of expressions in the country, said academicians and politicians.
Other than the gruesome murder of engineering student Abrar Fahad, most the perpetrators of the attack on students escaped investigation and trial.
Dhaka University professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said in cases of attacks on students, Dhaka University authorities never punished the ruling party-backed students for committing crimes.
‘We thought the situation will change following the DUCSU election that was held after 28 years. But, it did not happen. An elected DUCSU vice-president was never beaten by any student before rather they used to get respect from all students,’ he said.
‘Such moral degradation of the ruling party-backed student organisation reflects AL’s intolerant attitude towards the opposition. They know it very well that they escape punishment in the society where culture of impunity is prevalent,’ he added.
Dhaka University retired professor and thinker Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque found it a normal behaviuor on the part of the ruling party-backed student organisation.
‘As nothing happens without intervention of the prime minister, she should also intervene in Dhaka University for resuming normalcy,’ he added.
Protests continued across the country on Monday against the attack on Dhaka University Central Students Union vice-president Nurul Huq Nur and 39 others at DUCSU office on Sunday by members of ruling party- backed Bangladesh Chhatra League and Muktijuddha Mancha, a platform of descendants of freedom fighters. It was the second attack on students by the two platforms in a week.
Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said that the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, directed the authorities concerned to take punitive and administrative actions against the attackers on Nurul Huq Nur.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities on Monday formed a medical board to provide better treatment to the five patients now undergoing treatment there after the attacks.
Dhaka University authorities on Monday formed a six-member probe body, headed by the arts faculty dean Abu Md Delwar Hossain, to investigate into the incident.
The university authorities issuing a release termed the incident as ‘unsolicited and unfortunate’.
The police on Monday arrested two leaders of Muktijuddha Mancha, Al Mamun and Yasir Arafat Turjo, with alleged ties to attacks on Nurul and others. But, none of the Chhatra League leaders were arrested till writing the report though witnesses said that Chhatra League’s university chapter president Sanjit Chandra Das and DUCSU assistant general secretary and the university unit Chhatra League general secretary Saddam Hussain and others led the attackers entering into Nurul’s office.
Shahbagh police station officer-in-charge Abul Hasan said no case was filed so far with his police station until 8:30pm over the attack.
Condemning attack on Nurul and others, Jatiya Oiktya Front convener and also Gano Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain while addressing the steering committee meeting of the front held at his office, said that the ruling party-backed student had celebrated one year of Awami League’s one-party rule by beating general students.
‘The nature of attack on the elected DUCSU VP and others indicates that the intention of the attackers was to kill them. Tuhin Frabi is now on life support,’ Kamal in his written statement said.
‘The party that assumed in power through massive rigging is now using its student and labour fronts to beat oppositions,’ he added.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction president ASM Rab said that BUET student Abrar was killed by Chhatra League activists after Sheikh Hasina was made lifetime DUCSU member and Chhatra League activists attacked on Nurul and others after she was re-elected the AL president.
After visiting seriously injured Nurul, Tuhin Farabi and others at Dhaka Medical College on Monday, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Mujahidul Islam Selim, also a former DUCSU vice-president, said that the attack that Chhatra League activists, in presence of its DU unit president and general secretary, carried out on the elected vice-president Nurul and others was beyond mercy.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at the party’s central office in the capital on Monday said that the attack on Nurul and 39 others was nothing but atrocity demonstrated by the ruling party-backed Chhatra League to mum voices of other student fronts on the DU campus.
After visiting Nurul and others at the hospital, Bangladesh Labour Party president Mostafizur Rahman Iran said that the ruling party was using Chhatra League to suppress the voice of the others as they did in the early 1970s with the defunct Rakkhi Bahini.
Rights organisation Ain O Shalish Kendra in a press release condemned attack on Nurul and others. It also said that such unwanted incidents were taking places at the public universities as the university authorities failed to take required measures.
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| Students Unity against Hooliganism brings out a procession on Dhaka University campus on Monday protesting against the attack on DUCSU VP and his associates. — Sourav Lasker |
Over 3,000 students belonging to different student organisations from a rally held at Dhaka University on Monday demanded punishment of the Chhatra League and Muktijuddha Mancha goons who unleashed the attacks. They also demanded resignation of the university proctor Golam Rabbani who is responsible for security on the campus as he ‘utterly failed’ to take any steps to punish the culprits, DU correspondent of New Age reported.
Teachers and students of Rajshahi University on Monday rallied on the campus protesting at the attack on students Nurul Huq Nur at Dhaka University on Sunday, reports New Age correspondent there.
Charttra Odhikar Andolan leaders in Rangpur were attacked by the goons on Monday as they organised a rally protesting at attack on Nurul, New Age Rangpur correspondent reported.
Dhaka University Teachers Association also condemned attack on DUCSU vice-president Nurul and others terming the incident as ‘terror attack and to create anarchy in the campus’.
They demanded proper treatment of injured and also urged Nurul to act more responsibly in a statement signed by the association president Maksud Kamal and general secretary Shibli Rubait Ul Islam.
Courtesy — NewAge/Dec 24, 2019
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