Islamic militants held in Bangladesh

DU teacher, 10 others held as militancy suspects
Source: New Age
September 19, 2008

The police arrested 11 members of Hizbut Tahreer, including three university teachers, in the Rajshahi city Thursday on suspicion of militancy and allegation of attempts to breach emergency rules.

They also seized leaflets, banners and posters of the Islamist outfit along with a microbus and mobile handsets from them. Professor Dr Sayeed Golam Mowla of the management department of Dhaka University, Ahmed Zamal, a chemistry teacher of South East University in Dhaka and Mamun Ansari, a teacher of the Northern University were among the arrested.

‘We arrested the members of Hizbut Tahreer suspecting militancy’, Akramul Hossain, assistant commissioner of city Special Branch of police told reporters. Other arrested persons are Masud Kawsar, Omar Faruk, Moniruzzaman Masud, Saddam Hossain, Akhter Hossain, Jahidul Islam and Mojammel Haque — all students — and microbus driver Jahangir Alam.

Plain-clothes policemen arrested them as they were about to hold a press conference at City Press Club at Sonadighi Mor in the city Thursday morning. They first captured Jahidul Islam and Mojammel Haque, two students of the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, in front of the City Press Club at about 12:30 pm.

The rest nine arrests were made within few minutes at the same venue and all of them were brought to the Boalia Model Police Station for interrogation. ‘We produced all of them before the court’, Humayun Kabir, assistant commissioner of Boalia told New Age.

They were charged with distribution of political and anti-government leaflets under the emergency, the police said. The leaflets urged the people to take oath in the month of Ramadan to overthrow the present government and establish Khilafat— the authority of Allah on earth, the police said.

Hizbut Tahreer members were found distributing such leaflets propagating the same opinion among the people in front of Saheb Bazar Bara Masjid after Tarabih prayers at night, sources said.

Our DU correspondent reports, student activists loyal to Hizbut Tahreer brought out a procession in the Dhaka University campus Thursday denouncing the arrest of their central leader Dr Sayeed Golam Mowla, a professor of management at the university.

They, under the banner of Bangladesh Chhatra Mukti, demonstrated in front of the vice chancellor’s office demanding immediate release of Professor Mowla. Later, activists of some left-leaning student organisations and Awami League-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League also brought out a procession urging the students in general to resist the fundamentalist forces including Chhatra Mukti. They vowed not to allow any kind of fundamentalist students’ platform in Dhaka University campus.

Dhaka University Observed Black Day

New Age reports on August 24, 2008, Teachers and students at Dhaka University on Saturday rallied for withdrawal of all cases filed against them in connection with the August 2007 campus protests. They also wore black badges observing August 23 as ‘black day’ against state repression on the campus.

Students at the university held protests on August 20, 2007 when some military personnel attacked them over an altercation during a football match in the university playground. The protests continued till August 22 and the government closed all public universities and colleges on August 23 for an indefinite period.

The state filed six cases against teachers and students of Dhaka University and common people, but later decided not to continue with five of them. The government at the time decided to continue with the case against seven of the 25 accused in the case of setting fire to the military vehicle.

The students accused in the case of setting fire to a military vehicle held a solidarity rally at the Aparajeya Bangla were all campus student organisations, including Bangladesh Chhatra League, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, and Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, expressed their solidarity and demanded withdrawal of the case.

A number of teachers including the university teachers’ association general secretary Anwar Hossain, former association president AAMS Arefin Siddique, and association’s executive committee member Muhammad Samad expressed solidarity with the students.

Anwar said the August 2007 protests were the outburst of the sentiment of all students at the university, but a few students are suffering now because of the movement.

He suggested the military intelligence should not consider the university students to be their opponents. ‘We do not consider them our opponents.’ ‘If the government does not withdraw the case, the teachers and students will make the government to withdraw it as they did in the past,’ he said.

‘It is a constitutional right for every citizen to live without fear. So our students also have the right to continue their education without fear,’ Arefin Siddique said at the rally. He asked the university authorities to ensure legal and financial support for the students.

The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president, Azizul Bari Helal, Chhatra League president Mahmud Hasan Ripon, Chhatra Union general secretary Manabendra Dev, university unit Samajtantrik Chhara Front general secretary Moloy Sarkar, and university unit Bangladesh Chhatra Federation general secretary Saikat Mallik joined the rally.

The Progressive Students’ Alliance and the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front also brought out processions on the campus marking the day. The teachers association held a discussion at the Teacher-Student Centre in the afternoon. 'We are observing the day as a ‘black day’ in a mark of protest,’ said the association’s president Sadrul Amin.

Celebration after Professors Release

Watch the following news coverage after the release of Dhaka University Professors:



Bdnews24 reports:

Prof Anwar Hossain, one of the three teachers convicted by a Dhaka court and later pardoned by President Iajuddin Ahmed, said: "This verdict is not only against some teachers of Dhaka University. It is against the whole Dhaka University community, the conscience of the nation."

"I did not want to come out of jail. Then the jail authorities tried to force me out as per the Jail Code. Later they informed me that all students would be released by tomorrow (Wednesday)."

"Nobody can gag the voice of conscience. We will join a teacher-student-guardian solidarity rally at the Aparajeyo Bangla tomorrow."

The teacher said he would narrate the picture of alleged torture in custody to the national and international media.

"We did not do any injustice. We protested injustice."

Prof Anwar thanked the members of the families of detained teachers for standing by them and supporting them with courage and patience.

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Verdict Vs. Mercy

The military government of Bangladesh has once again shown the nation how dramatically it could influence the court. Dhaka court has been too quick to acquit and sentence the University Professors and students in two back to back hearings. At least the teachers and students are now free at the mercy of the President. But the wounds won't heal soon. This court's dramatic act and the quick Presidential mercy will mar the transparency of the court and the justice system. Read the rest from bdnews24:

Dhaka, Jan 22 (bdnews24.com) – Four Dhaka University teachers Tuesday walked out of prison to the warm, yet tearful reception of relatives, colleagues and adherents. Full Story. Updates with PID note

Freedom of the four teachers—three of them sentenced to two years in jail but pardoned by President Iajuddin Ahmed just as quickly—and the fourth acquitted by a Dhaka court—drew a line under a long-running contentions issue.

There were no appeals for mercy by the families of the convicted teachers.

Deputy inspector general (prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told bdnews24.com that jail authorities had freed the teachers after receiving documents of presidential clemency.

The prisons official said they could not free Moniruzzaman, one of the 15 students acquitted by the court, as jail authorities did not receive any supporting document on his freedom.

Secretary to the Chief Adviser's Office Md Kazi Aminul Islam had earlier confirmed to bdnews24.com that the president approved the files for mercy.

The government also withdrew all cases against teachers and students involving the August violence—a move seen as a remedy to the months of tensions on the campus.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate M Golam Rabbani, who presided over the case Tuesday morning, convicted DUTA president Professor Sadrul Amin, general secretary Professor Anwar Hossain and social sciences faculty dean Professor Harun-or-Rashid.

Rabbani however acquitted applied physics and electronics department chairman Prof Nimchandra Bhowmick, and 15 students of the same charges.

The three teachers had been jailed for two years on charges of breaking emergency rules and fomenting days of campus violence in August last year.

In a statement, the Press Information Department said the president had cleared the three teachers of conviction by exercising his powers in line with Article 49 of the constitution.

The case centred on the August violence, which was sparked after some military men from a makeshift camp on the university campus beat a student during a football match.

The students had burst into protests against the incident and demanded withdrawal of the camp from the campus.

The melee had continued to grow and spilled over onto the streets of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, prompting the interim government to impose curfew.

The students clashed with the police and attacked army vehicles in Dhaka and Rajshahi.

The incidents led to a raft of cases against teachers and students.

In one of the cases, which involve breach of emergency rule, a Dhaka court Monday acquitted the four teachers and 11 students of Dhaka University.

The court had convicted four students in the case but later they were forgiven by the president. The same day, 10 other Rajshahi University students and an employee also got presidential clemency.

After release from Dhaka Central Jail Tuesday, the teachers placed wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar on their way home to the campus.

Tuesday's verdict sparked protests on the campus.

A teacher said the verdict was "stage-managed" while another teacher said it was meant to "trample the dignity of Dhaka University".

The magistrate took only one minute to read out the summary of the 36-page verdict.

The four teachers of Dhaka University were in the dock when the magistrate pronounced the verdict.

The lawyers however made competing statements.

Defence counsel advocate Masud Talukder, said: "It's a mysterious judgement. There were no lawyers for the state in court."

Additional public prosecutor Kabir Hossain said: "The teachers had violated emergency rule. In the trial procedure, there was no intervention by the government as the judiciary is free."

FAMILIES REACT

Monika Bhowmick, wife of acquitted teacher Nimchandra Bhowmick, said she was happy about the verdict on her husband.

"But I'm very upset about the verdict against his colleagues," she said.

"The nation is shocked. I came to the court in the morning to hear good news. I demand their freedom. This verdict is conspiratorial," she said.

Sanjib Hossain, son of DU professor Anwar Hossain, had earlier said: "My father has said this verdict is against the conscience of the nation. My father won't seek mercy. My father won't come out of prison as long as any of his colleagues or students remains in jail."

Immediately after the verdict, Professor Nimchandra Bhowmick had said he would not leave the jail without his colleagues.

Even after the presidential mercy, Nimchandra refused to leave the jail as one of the students was not freed yet for "technical reasons".

The DIG (prisons) referred to the Jail Code that does not allow "pardoned inmates" to stay inside. And Nimchandra obliged.

HARD DAYS

Earlier in the day, two groups of Dhaka University teachers tied to the Awami League and left parties had rejected the court verdict.

The teachers called upon people to stand beside them through the "hard days".

The teachers assembled at the Battola on the campus in a midday demonstration and protested the verdict.

"The judgment has simply wounded us. DU is passing hard days," said Muntasir Mamun, a professor of history.

"We'd request all to stand beside us as they did in the past—in 1969, 1971 and in 1990."

"Protesting injustice and misrule has been our tradition and heritage through the past century-long life of the university, leading the country and the nation to realising a number of its cherished goals, including independence," Prof Muntasir had said.

"This military-backed government wants to see us trampled under the military's boots. We'll not allow that to happen. We want our teachers be freed with honour."

Professor Mesbah Kamal said: "The teachers and students here are no criminals. They just happened to speak up when the sanctity of the university was violated."

"The prestige of DU has been undermined seriously by the mockery of a judgment delivery," Prof Abdus Samad said.

On the news of the sentencing in the morning, acting dean of the social sciences faculty AAMS Arefin Siddique said: "I've heard about the judgment, which showed that the government is ill-disposed towards the highest educational institution in the country."

"I vehemently protest this inimical attitude."

UNHAPPY STUDENTS, TIGHT SECURITY

Students of Dhaka University had also rejected the verdict.

The students brought out midday processions on the campus amid tight security to denounce the verdict.

Under three banners, the students rallied briefly when they demanded that the government stop "playing a game" with the contentious issues.

Police and other law enforcers put in place a huge security arrangement in and outside the campus to avoid any violence.

A senior police official, who talked to a bdnews24.com correspondent on the scene, preferring not to be named, said they had ordered officials to stay alert.

He said they were restricting entry of outsiders to the campus area and let the students and employees in after security checks.

DU Professors and most Students are cleared

Breaking News: Court freed Dhaka University Professors and 11 students in one of the cases. Hearing is continuing right now. More updates are to follow:



Dhaka, Jan 21 (bdnews24.com) — A Dhaka court cleared four Dhaka University teachers and 11 students of charges Monday in one of the cases filed against them in connection with the August campus rioting at DU.

Judge Md Habibur Rahman Siddiqui of the Dhaka Metropolitan and Speedy Trial Court handed down the verdict on the case acquitting them of the charges.

The same verdict sentenced the four absconding students in the case to two years in prison and a Tk 1,000 fine each.

The judgement came after the government Thursday submitted a written appeal urging the court to fast-track the trial of the teachers and students.

The teachers are Dhaka University Teachers Association president Professor Sadrul Amin, general secretary Professor Anwar Hossain, social sciences faculty dean Professor Harun-or-Rashid and applied physics and electronics department chairman Professor Nimchandra Bhowmik.

The charges involve violations of emergency rules during days of Aug violence on Dhaka University premises.

The chaos began when some army people beat a university student during a football match in the university. The melee that later spilled over onto the streets and elsewhere in the country continued for several days.

Illegal detention of students and professors

Charges are against conscience of nation: Prof Anwar

Dhaka, Jan 16 (bdnews24.com) – Detained Dhaka University teacher Anwar Hossain said Wednesday that charges pressed against them were actually against the "conscience of the nation".

"The case against us is not ordinary. We—the four teachers and one student present in court—and 14 other fugitive students are not the real accused. It's Dhaka University that has been put in the dock."

"The accused are the conscience of the nation," Prof Anwar told a court in the capital where he defended himself against the charges of emergency rules violations during the days of campus violence in August.

The teacher said an intelligence agency was playing the main role in the issues tied to the August violence.

"It seems a Shahbag police official is the complainant of the case. But we know and the people know who the main forces were—against the conscience of the nation, against Dhaka University and against the teachers and students," he said.

"The members of the military intelligence agency have played the main role in framing charges. Not only that, they even attend this court regularly," Anwar alleged.

He said the charges were meant to malign the "conscience of the nation".

His statement came in the court of metropolitan magistrate M Golam Rabbani during the hearing of the defence statements by the accused.

Anwar read out a 10-page statement to the court where he described the context of the Aug violence.

He said they were no way responsible for the violence and they had just stood by the students against injustice.

The three other teachers and the student also pleaded innocent.

Prof Harun-or-Rashid said: "Nobody is above law. We are no different. Punish us if we are found guilty. Charges have been brought against us that we have violated emergency rules—state of emergency. But the government would not bring any charge against fundamentalists and anti-liberation forces who went on the rampages and brought out processions after the publication of a satire cartoon in the Prothom Alo."

"We have reviewed all papers of this case. It seems to me that all including the police official gave their statements under pressure," he said.

"We have limited wealth and powers. We cultivate knowledge. We compete for acquiring knowledge. We hope any person or any agency would not adopt any cruel measures against us. This is our country. Give us scope to build a beautiful country. I am innocent and I want fair justice," he told the court.

Dr Nimchandra Bhowmik and Dr Sadrul Amin also claimed to be innocent.

They said their names had not been included initially but they were included later "intentionally to malign us".

They said they had not been on the scene and did not give any statement during the volatile days.

Student Sardar Moniruzzaman Rubel also said he demanded "fair justice".

The violence had erupted over a chaos between the students and some troops camped at the university gymnasium.

The melee began during a football match. After some troops reportedly beat a student, the university students burst into protests, spilling over onto the streets of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

The court resumes Thursday for hearing of the arguments.

Amnesty calls for immediate release of DU teachers

Dhaka, Jan 10 (bdnews24.com) – International human rights watchdog Amnesty International Thursday demanded immediate release of the four arrested Dhaka University teachers.

"AI calls for their immediate and unconditional release," AI secretary general Irene Khan told a press conference at Sheraton Hotel.

The Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government arrested four senior DU teachers, including Prof Anwar Hossain, general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, and Prof Harun-or-Rashid, dean of the Social Sciences Faculty, Dhaka University, following antigovernment demonstrations and agitation in August last year.

AI protested the arrest and prosecution of Dhaka and Rajshahi University teachers, Khan said.

Later, President Iajuddin Ahmed pardoned the five RU teachers.

"Amnesty International considers the four DU teachers, now on trial, to be prisoners of conscience and calls for their immediate release," Khan said in a written statement to the press.

Bangladesh Facing Crisis

It appears that the Bangladesh Government is responding to the food crisis by beginning open market sale. In addition, Dhaka University's Professors and Students are demanding release of the professors and students.

New Age reports,

Teachers at Dhaka University on Wednesday staged a sit-in demonstration for an hour at Aparajeya Bangla holding placards and demanded the release of their colleagues and students detained in connection with the August campus protests.
The placards read ‘Release all detained teachers and students without delay!’ ‘Uphold the right to justice and conscience!’ and ‘Keep educational institutions functioning!’ demanding that free thinking should be allowed in educational institutions.

Professor MM Akash of economics, who announced the plan for the demonstrations two days ago, along with the teachers loyal to the Awami League-backed Blue Panel and the left-leaning Pink Panel gathered at the place at 11:00am, joined in by more teachers. The teachers loyal to the BNP and Jamaat-backed White Panel did not join the protests.

A number of students of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research earlier formed a human chain at the institute to push for the demands. After the demonstrations, Professor Kabir Chowdhury told reporters, ‘We are here with some resentments and demands. There are no reasons to keep the teachers and students in jail.’

‘Taking classes is not the only duty of the teachers. They should also become vocal against injustice. If the teachers were vocal during the August campus protests, they performed their duty and they should be rewarded, not punished,’ Kabir said.
He hoped that the university authorities would be active in their efforts for the release of the detained teachers and students.

He said the reports of the judicial inquiry commission and inquiries by the military should be made public so that people can know what happened during August 20–22 on and around the campus and demanded that the teachers and students should be released.

Former DUTA president AAMS Arefin Siddique brushed aside the allegations levelled by the teachers loyal to the White Panel who claimed the Blue Panel teachers were conspiring to make the campus unstable by going out on demonstrations. He said, ‘Rather they were hatching plots against the teachers’ association by making it dysfunctional with the help of the administration. This has prolonged the detention of the teachers and students.’

‘All organisations have the right to go out on demonstrations for their just demand; so has the teachers’ association. If the leaders are not capable enough of running the organisation and getting the teachers freed, they should step down,’ he said.
The Students against Repression also skipped classes from 11:00am to noon and gathered in front of the Arts Building at a distance from the teachers. The students have planned to form a human chain on the campus at 10:00am today.

The vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, meanwhile, met the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, also the chancellor, at noon and discussed matters related to the release of the teachers.
The Dhaka University Journalists’ Association members also met the vice-chancellor on the indictment of the university correspondent of Banglabazar Patrika, Khomenee Ihsan, in the case of setting fire to a military staff car. They sought his intervention in this regard.

Watch the Bangla news coverage:

Get-tough with academicians

The interim government’s get-tough-policy with academicians just fizzled out
Tuesday December 11 2007 19:49:58 PM BDT
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah, USA
Source: News from Bangladesh

I took time out from writings because it was too painful to watch the downward journey of my motherland with Fakhruddin, the crony of Bangladesh military, at helm. However, I was watching the drama being played in Dhaka by none other than the top leaders of the illegal (unconstitutional) government backed by the military establishment of Bangladesh.

The military was mightily upset when students and professors of Dhaka University became vocal over the presence of a military camp right inside the campus. The military was finally booted out. Thanks to the spontaneously generated protest session in which outsiders also joined the professors and students. The teachers from other campuses notably from Rajshahi University also joined the protest movement. This was too much for General Moeen and his lieutenants. They were defeated unceremoniously and when the press published the famous photo of a retreating officer while a protester kicked him in the butt all hell broke loose in Kurmitola cantonment. General Moeen had to take valium to soothe his nerve.

To teach the professors a lesson of a lifetime, the military had the police arrest a few professors. They humiliated the academicians by huddling them with common criminals, denied handing medicines, and did not even allow family members to meet the arrestees. The so-called “free” court of Bangladesh passed judgment in favor of the government. The professors from Rajshahi were convicted by the “independent” court. And now on the face of a growing resentment in the civil society the government backed down. Fakhruddin and his gang engineered a presidential clemency as a face saving technique. The government thought by awarding the clemency this illegal government’s stature will be enhanced.

The proof that this government is run from behind by the military is so obvious. The government sent members of DGFI to meet the family. Why DGFI? Any of the civilians who are serving in this unconstitutional government could have gone to Rajshahi to meet the family members of the “convicted” professors. What was the deal DGFI had in their sleeve? Did they think that the relatives of the professors will cringe in fear by seeing a few muscle men in army fatigue? Time has surely changed. Wake up fellows! This is the age of the Internet. Those days of Ayub Khan, Gen. Zia and Gen. Ershad do not exist any more.

I request everyone to analyze the entire sequence of events with objectivity. This un-elected and extra-constitutional government who is now managing the country somehow is directionless. Do you care to know that the military boss (General Moeen) gets more attention in the press than the Chief Advisor or the president? The military four-star General who engineered his promotion pronto after grabbing the power is a shameless fellow. He pretends as if Bangladesh is his paternal property. He took the cues from General Musharraf. I will not be surprised to hear that in near future General Moeen will run for president. Let the dust settle. Everything will be clear in good time.

The nation is drifting in the ocean of uncertainties. The economic growth was stunted since January 2007. On top of it, the monsoon-led flood and cyclone Sidr had plunged the nation into a state of hopelessness. The inflation of commodity prices had escalated so much so that ordinary people simply cannot afford many necessities of life. People cannot protest against the repressive government that has incarcerated more than 250,000 people. The newspapers in Bangladesh stopped mentioning about the plights of these people who are rotting in jails.

The government’s scorched-earth policy did not work with the academicians. The professors are valiant heroes of the nation. Their family members did not agree to the terms laid down by the DGFI bosses. Therefore, to end the stalemate Iajuddin, the master bungler of Bangladesh, had to come up with the “presidential clemency.” I hate this sort of pardon. Why? In the first place, the professors of Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Chittagong Universities did the right thing. University teachers are the conscience of the nation. If they would not have protested against the repressive government, then who would.

The government in this case simply caved in by engendering a laughable presidential clemency. The government was too coward to execute the judgment handed down by the kangaroo court. It thought if the professors are put in jail to serve the sentence, there may be more demonstration allover the nation.

This repressive and unconstitutional military-driven government has not yet learned the proper lesson. Historians will not treat them lightly either. All the major players in Bangladesh in respect to governance such as Fakhruddin, Mainul, Matin, Moeen, Iajuddin, and the rest will be mired in infamy. Mark my word.

In the meantime, Bangladesh’s downward journey to abyss is continuing. It is a sad testament that 150 million teeming people have no democratic rights whatsoever. The rest of the civilized nation could care less for the plights of the people. I characterized this government an oligarchy from the very beginning. What looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, is a duck. This is a repressive and autocratic military regime with a civilian façade. Make no mistake about it.
___________________________________________
A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from New Orleans, USA
E Mail : jhankar@bellsouth.net

Double Standard of Justice

Bangladesh's double standard of justice
SYLHET, Bangladesh, Dec. 10
RATER ZONAKI
Source: UPI Asia Online

Column: Humanity or Humor?
The military-backed government of Bangladesh is sending mixed messages in its administration of justice. On one hand teachers have been convicted and imprisoned for influencing students to protest. On the other, businessmen charged with corruption have been released.

Four teachers from Rajshahi University were convicted on Dec. 4 for breaching the Emergency Powers Rules-2007 in August, following widespread protests by students and teachers over military brutality at Dhaka University.

Judge Ruhul Amin gave two-year prison sentences to Moloy Kumar Bhoumik, Dulal Chandra Biswas, Salim Reza Newton and Abdullah-Al-Mamun. However, the court acquitted two other teachers, former vice chancellor Professor Saidur Rahman Khan and Professor Abdus Sobhan, charged with the same offense.

The lawyers of the convicted teachers alleged that the court's verdict was based on "lame and contradictory evidence." They explained that none of the prosecution witnesses could prove beyond doubt that the teachers had influenced their students to join in the protests at alleged "secret meetings," or even that the teachers themselves had taken part in the silent procession on campus on Aug. 22.

Four other teachers from Dhaka University have been in detention for four months, and face similar charges of influencing students to violate the emergency powers rules. The government reportedly asked the detained teachers to sign prepared statements confessing their "crimes." According to the reports, they refused.

In a very different picture of justice in Bangladesh, a number of business leaders, who faced various charges of unlawful activities, were released from prison in recent weeks. Moreover, the government has decided to establish a "Truth Commission" to arrange amnesty for business leaders accused of market manipulation and other crimes in the corporate sector and in society. The commission will reportedly go into effect early next year.

On one hand, the government is putting university teachers -- who are victims of deliberate manipulation by the authorities, led by the armed forces -- behind bars under cover of the so-called emergency laws, even when the evidence against them that has been made public is not enough to convict them.

On the other hand, people whose criminal activities have been publicly exposed are being cleared of the charges against them for undisclosed reasons. They have reportedly gone through "legal proceedings" in the courts -- which reveals the inefficiency of prosecutors as well as the indifference of the country's legal institutions. It should be mentioned that there is no provision in the Constitution of Bangladesh to create any Truth Commission under any circumstances.

The different treatment afforded these two types of prisoners depicts the immoral and contradictory characteristics of the military-backed government. The authorities have a dual policy in handling citizens. They aim to destroy the image and reputation of institutions, such as universities, that do not conform to their rigid rules. On the other hand, they are willing to appease and compromise with those who can serve their benefit. There is a total lack of honesty, transparency, efficiency and accountability on the part of the government.

The state has used its power to investigate, prosecute, try and imprison university teachers for violating draconian emergency rules. At the same time it has freed businessmen accused of embezzling state assets and other corrupt behavior unacceptable under any legal system, with or without the emergency.

The people of Bangladesh cannot help but question the government's behavior. Who authorized the government to adopt such unlawful practices? Who will compensate the two detained senior professors of Rajshahi University who were acquitted of all charges by the court, for their social stigmatization as a result of their arbitrary arrest and detention? Why are the other teachers still in detention when no substantial evidence was produced before the courts? Why are business leaders being freed despite considerable evidence of criminal offences, and on what grounds is the government authorized to establish a Truth Commission to free them?

The military-backed government leaders should remember that their own day of judgment will surely come; the people will not delay to bring the present rulers to trial once the country is freed from the state of emergency.

---

(Rater Zonaki is the pseudonym of a human rights defender living in Sylhet in Bangladesh. He has been working on human rights issues in the country for more than a decade and was a journalist in Bangladesh in the 1990s.)

Rajshahi University Professors released

Has the army backed CTG finally backed down from their earlier position as they released the University Professors of Rajshahi? Dhaka University Professors are going to be released very soon. It's a good sign as the army is showing that they are restrained and they're heeding to the educators and students. It has become clear to us who's running the show as the university officials have recently met the military leaders once again over the release of the university professors and students. We'll hold our joy and celebration until democracy returns in Bangladesh. Read this breaking news from Bdnews24:

President Iajuddin Ahmed has pardoned the four Rajshahi University teachers serving jail sentences for inciting campus unrest after their wives filed clemency petitions, secretary at president's office Md Serajul Islam told bdnews24.com Monday.

Earlier in the day, law and justice adviser Mainul Hosein told bdnews24.com by telephone that steps were underway to release the four DU teachers also detained over the unrest that raged on for days through educational institutions across the country in late August.

"The appeals of the jailed RU teachers for pardon have been forwarded to the president's office after taking care of the legal process involved. I hope the president will grant the pardon officially in a day or two," Mainul said.

On Dec 4, a Rajshahi court sentenced management teacher Moloy Kumar Bhowmik and mass communication teachers Selim Reza Newton, Dulal Chandra Biswas and Abdullah Al Mamun to two years in jail for inciting student agitation in late August.

"The government doesn't at all intend to detain university teachers. Since there have been cases filed against them, the government will have to legally clear them after they appeal to the government for absolving them of the charges pressed," the law adviser said.

"Education adviser Ayub Quadri is taking measures for the release of the detained Dhaka University teachers as well. I hope he'll soon resolve the matter properly and acceptably."

The four detained Dhaka University teachers are DUTA president Professor Sadrul Amin, general secretary Professor Anwar Hossain, social sciences faculty dean Professor Harunur Rashid and applied physics and electronics department Chairperson professor Nimchandra Bhowmik.

Deadline to Free Teachers

Dhaka University Teachers Association issued a deadline of December 12th to release all the arrested university teachers and students in Bangladesh. The military government is simply playing with fire as they are holding these teachers and students with fabricated charges for inciting agitation. They need to release all of them before it gets too late for the arrogant military junta. Autocracy may rule couple of years but may not survive longer than that. If they have forgotten, they can read the headlines once again what happened in December of 1990 when General Ershad knelt down to the people's uprising. BDnews reports,

Dhaka, Dec 7 (bdnews24.com) – Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) at an emergency general meeting Friday evening demanded the release of all arrested university teachers and students by Dec 12.

The meeting said DUTA would be compelled to take up a "tough action programme" if the detained teachers and students of both Dhaka and Rajshahi universities were not released by the deadline. The meeting also drew up a two-day programme that includes the wearing of black badges by the teachers on Sunday and a mourning procession by the teachers from the Aparajayo Bangla monument at 11am Monday.

Acting DUTA president Tajmeri SA Islam told reporters: "If the detainees are not released by the Dec 12 deadline we will be compelled to go for a tough action programme." On whether the students would stand by them in such a programme, Tajmeri said: "This is solely a teachers' programme. I won't comment beyond that."

Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, Prof Aktaruzzaman, Prof Md Samad, Prof MM Akash and DUTA acting general secretary Dr Mamun Ahmed were among the nearly 150 teachers present at the DUTA University Club meeting room.

The meeting, which discussed the overall situation, began at 7.00pm and continued for two and half an hours. The teachers also sought cooperation of the university authorities to conduct legal matters related to the arrests.

Four Dhaka University teachers and 15 students were arrested over a period of time following the August student unrest on the campus. A Rajshahi court sentenced four RU teachers to two years in jail on Dec 4 for violating emergency powers rules during the student protests at Rajshahi University.

12 Academics Jailed and Tortured in Bangladesh

Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Action Alerts

12 Academics Jailed and Tortured in Bangladesh

Date: November 5, 2007
FACTS OF THE CASE:

The American Society of Plant Biologists urges immediate action on behalf of plant biologist Dr. Anwar Hossain and 11 of his prominent academic colleagues at the University of Dhaka and Rajshahi University, Bangladesh (see list below). These professors were arrested and jailed in August 2007 and remain in custody to this day. The arrests were made by a Joint Task Force under the direction of the Director General Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the central intelligence agency of the Bangladeshi armed services, in connection with student protests, and the arrested academics have not been charged with any crime.

On August 20, 2007 at a soccer game at Dhaka University a group of soldiers complained that several students were obstructing their view, and they began thrashing the students. Almost immediately large numbers of students turned on the soldiers. There was a riot. It spread to other campuses in the city and within a day to other campuses across the country. Many students were injured and imprisoned—one was killed. Meanwhile, the Dhaka University Teacher’s Association (DUTA), led by its General Secretary, the aforementioned Dr. Hossain, attempted to calm the situation. Indeed, faculty officers of DUTA met on August 23, 2007 with senior members of the DGFI and offered their cooperation. That night at 12:15AM, teams led by DGFI officers entered the campus apartments of Dr. Hossain and three other senior Dhaka University faculty members, each of whom was taken from their families and imprisoned. There is strong evidence that these professors and their arrested colleagues from Rajshahi University were tortured for several days, and they are still being held in prison with minimal access to family, attorneys, and medical care. Several articles published in the Bangladeshi and American press provide additional details about the arrests and the events that precipitated them.
See, for example:

Article 1 Aug. 21, 2007

Article 2 Aug. 22, 2007

Article 3 Aug. 22, 2007

Article 4 Aug. 25, 2007

Article 5 Aug. 28, 2007

Article 6 Nov. 2, 2007

A more personal account – that of Dr. Hossain’s son, Sanjeeb, who witnessed his father’s arrest – is available here:

In addition to the 12 professors, an unknown number of students from both universities have also been arrested, and concern for their well-being is growing as well. Indeed, on September 4, 2007 Secretary General Irene Khan of Amnesty International, in a letter to Bangladesh’s leader, Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, called for authorities to ensure that all human rights violations reported in the context of recent student unrest be thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice. Khan further stated that use of excessive force, as well as reports of torture and ill treatment of detainees while being interrogated by military intelligence personnel are matters of deep concern. Moreover, the detainees’ denial of access to lawyers and family members is in clear violation of international human rights standards.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D - MA) in a letter of October 26, 2007 to M. Humayun Kabir, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Washington, D.C., urged the Bangladeshi government to release the 12 professors and any students who have also been detained for political reasons. Sen. Kennedy further stated that “holding these twelve men without charge and for political reasons is a major assault on the integrity and independence of the academic community of your nation and calls into question your government's commitment to human rights and the rule of law.”

Take immediate action:

Send or fax letters urging the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hossain, his eleven faculty colleagues, and any detained students to:

1. Dr. Fakruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor
   
   Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
   
   Tejgaon, Dhaka, Banglades
   
   Fax: 880-2-811-3244 or 3243

2. His Excellency M. Humayun Kabir
   
   Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
   
   Embassy of Bangladesh
   
   3510 International Drive, N.W.
   
   Washington, D.C. 20008
   
   Fax: (202) 244-7830 or 2771

3. General Moeen U Ahmed, Chief of Staff
   
   Bangladesh Army
   
   Dhaka Cantonment
   
   Dhaka, Bangladesh

Your letters might also echo Amnesty International’s call for the Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that all violations reported in the context of these events on August 20, 2007 and shortly thereafter are investigated and that those responsible are brought to justice. And you might further wish to express your concern regarding the use of to ture during the detention of these professors and students.

Detained Academics

Professor Anwar Hossain, Dean, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dhaka University

Professor Harunor-Rashid, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science, Dhaka University

Professor Sadrul Amin, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Departmentof English, Dhaka University

Professor Neem Chandra Bhoumik, Department of Applied Physics, Dhaka University

Professor Saidur Rahman Khan, Former Vice-Chancellor of Rajshahi University

Professor Abdus Sobhan, Department of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, Rajshahi University

Professor Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, Department of Management, Rajshahi University

Professor Abdullah Al Mamun, Department of English and Department of Mass Communications, Rajshahi University

Professor Selim Reza Newton, Department of Mass Communications, Rajshahi University

Professor Dulal Chandra Biswas, Department of Mass Communications, Rajshahi University

Professor Sabbir Sattar Tapu, Department of Geology and Mining, Rajshahi University

Professor Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan Sajal, Department of Geology and Mining, Rajshahi University

This Action Alert was posted by the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program on behalf of the The American Society of Plant Biologists.

KENNEDY Calls for Release of Bangladeshi Professors & Students

KENNEDY CALLS FOR RELEASE OF
BANGLADESHI PROFESSORS & STUDENTS
News Release
U.S. Senator Condemns Torture
By A Special Correspondent

(Washington, D.C.) In a forceful letter addressed to Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, United States Senator Edward Kennedy, expressed his “deep concern about twelve prominent intellectuals from Dhaka and Rajshahi University who have been detained without charges under the authority of the Director General of Forces Intelligence since August.”

Kennedy stated that he was “especially troubled by accusations that they have been tortured.” The U.S. Senator, brother of the late President John F. Kennedy, has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s war policies in Iraq and the holding of detainees at Guantanamo.

With regard to Bangladesh, Kennedy argued that “holding these twelve men without charge and for political reasons is a major assault on the integrity and independence of the academic community of your nation and calls into question your government’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law...It is wrong for any government to detain individuals for political reasons, and to deny them access for extended periods to attorneys, family members, and medical care.” Kennedy called on the “government to release these intellectuals and students who have been detained for political reasons.”

Kennedy’s letter was addressed to the Bangladesh government through Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United States. In an attachment to the letter Senator Kennedy listed the individual names of the twelve detained professors and their university affiliations. A facsimile of the full letter is attached to this article. It was leaked to the press by a Washington source who gained access to the confidential correspondence.

_________________________________

Deshi Voice salutes Senator Kennedy

At KSG, General Draws Fire

At KSG, General Draws Fire
Bangladeshi military chief accused of crackdown on academic freedom

Published On 10/30/2007 12:38:29 AM
By PARAS D. BHAYANI
Crimson Staff Writer
Source: The Harvard Crimson

The chief of the Bangladeshi military, who took part in a two-day session at the Kennedy School of Government last week, has come under fire from scholars who claim that his armed forces have been responsible for a crackdown on academic freedom at the nation’s universities.

Gen. Moeen U Ahmed, who also participated in a Kennedy School executive education course in 2002, is being criticized for crackdowns at Bangladesh’s Rajshahi University and its flagship institution, the University of Dhaka.

The crackdowns have included the arrests of at least four academics at Dhaka and eight at Rajshahi, with allegations that they have been tortured, according to The Daily Star, the largest English-language newspaper in Bangladesh.

Emran Qureshi, a fellow at the Law School’s Labor and Worklife Program, criticized the Kennedy School for closing Moeen’s visit to the public and the press.

“He should be allowed to speak, but it should have been public so that critics of their policy could have aired their thoughts,” Qureshi said in a phone interview yesterday. “It is incredibly ironic that at the very moment he speaks at Harvard University, he is presiding over an unprecedented crackdown on Bangladeshi academic institutions. It boggles the mind.”

The Kennedy School’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, which hosted Ahmed, said in a statement last week that the sessions were closed to the press in order to “allow for frank, free and meaningful discussion.” An institute spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

Moeen had meetings on governmental reform and restoring democracy in Bangladesh during his two-day stay here, the statement said.

The arrests at the Bangladesh universities were in response to protests following an August incident in which soldiers attacked a student who was blocking their view of a soccer match.

“The demonstrations taking place in Bangladesh come after eight months of repressive emergency rule, which has restricted the rights to protest and fails to respect basic due process rights,” the watchdog organization Human Rights Watch said in a report.

Bangladesh declared a state of emergency in January 2007, with Moeen deploying the armed forces to end riots in the nation’s major cities. The military-backed provisional government that has ruled Bangladesh since January will leave office in December 2008, Moeen has said.
______________________________
—Staff writer Paras D. Bhayani can be reached at pbhayani@fas.harvard.edu.

Medical Care for deteined University Professor

Dhaka, Oct 20 (bdnews24.com) -- Ayesha Akhter, wife of detained Dhaka University teacher Anwar Hossain, has claimed that her husband did not receive proper medical care during his detention in Dhaka Central Jail.

In an open letter released to the media Saturday, Ayesha said her husband's ear had developed a fungal infection due to the unsanitary conditions of the jail building he was originally held in.

She also reported that Dr Anwar had been feeling severe pain since Oct 3 and had become partially deaf in his left ear, but had yet to receive proper treatment.

"My husband, with some other teachers, were given division in jail one month after their arrest, although they were kept in a cell for convicts until that time," Ayesha said.

"Dr Anwar contracted the ear infection from the dirty walls of the old jail building. Although he was feeling severe pain from Oct 3, he was not sent to the specialist physician at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital until October 11," the letter said.

The detained academic's wife said she came to know of her husband's condition following an Eid-day visit. She added that her husband and the other detained teachers had now been transferred to the newly built Rupsha Bhaban at the central jail.

Dr Anwar's wife said her husband resented the way his statement to the media following his court appearance had only been partially aired. He is reported to feel that it portrayed him inaccurately.

The letter continued: "Dr Anwar, as a guardian of the students, spontaneously offered an apology for any assault on members of the army by students."

"He did not do so out of weakness or to get pity. He wanted to ensure that the unrest did not in any way hamper the process of handing over power to a civilian government elected through fair, neutral and acceptable elections."

"It is sad that arrests continued despite Dr Anwar's apology and the chief adviser's assurance to withdraw 82,000 cases against the students and limit the number to 36."

"Dr Anwar told me to tell the government, the army and the public that steps must be taken to ensure the army returns to their barracks with dignity. They can do this by handing power to an elected civilian government through a general election."

Ayesha's letter added that steps need to be taken for the release of all detained teachers and students throughout the country and ensure their proper treatment.

বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ঘটনা, বিস্ময়কর বিশ্লেষণ এবং অতঃপর

বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ঘটনা, বিস্ময়কর বিশ্লেষণ এবং অতঃপর
অনিরুদ্ধ আহমেদ

এক
সেদিন ওয়াশিংটন ডি সি তে অনুষ্ঠিত হেরিটেজ ফাউন্ডেশানে বাংলাদেশ ডেমক্রেসি এট দ্য ক্রস রোড শীর্ষক এক সেমিনারে বক্তারা যেমন বাংলাদেশে দূর্নীতি বিরোধী অভিযানের প্রশংসা করেন, তেমনি সেখানকার মানবাধিকার পরিস্থিতি, প্রচার মাধ্যমের স্বাধীনতা এবং নির্বাচনী রোডম্যাপ নিয়ে তাঁদের আগ্রহ এবং উৎকন্ঠা দুটোই প্রকাশ করেন। আলোচনায়, অন্যান্য বিষয়ের মধ্যে, বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষক ছাত্র আটক প্রসঙ্গটিও উঠে আসে। ঢাকা থেকে আসা একজন সাবেক কুটনীতিক উপস্থিত সকলকেই আশ্বস্ত করার চেষ্টা করছিলেন যে এই সব শিক্ষকদের বিষয়ে সরকার সচেতন রয়েছেন এবং তাঁদের অধিকার যাতে ক্ষুন্ন না হয় সে ব্যাপারে সরকারের দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করেন। তিনি স্বীকার করেন যে ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের প্রথম দিককার বিস্ফোরণ ছিল স্বতস্ফুর্ত এবং তা ক্যাম্পাস সংশ্লিষ্ট বিষয় ছিল । কিন্তু এই কুটনীতিক এ দাবী ও করেন যে তিনি এমন কিছু “ফুটেজ” দেখে এসেছেন ঐ ঘটনার যেখানে ছাত্র-শিক্ষকদের সংশ্লিষ্টতা নয়, রাজনৈতিক সংশ্লিষ্টতার প্রমাণ পাওয়া যায়। ছাত্র-শিক্ষকের অসন্তোষকে কাজে লাগিয়ে গোটা দেশে সহিংসতা ছড়িয়ে দিয়ে এক ধরণের বিশৃঙ্খলা সৃষ্টি করাই ছিল ঘটনা বিস্তারের পেছনের উদ্দেশ্য। তিনি বলেন ঐ ভিডিও ফুটেজে টাকা বিতরণ, খাবার বিতরণের দৃশ্য ও না কি রয়েছে। তাঁর এই বক্তব্যের পর উপস্থিত দর্শকদের মধ্য থেকে, যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের একটি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের একজন শিক্ষক এবং একটি সংবাদ মাধ্যমের একজন সাংবাদিক যখন তাঁর কাছে জানতে চান, যে রাজনৈতিক উদ্দেশ্য প্রণোদিত ঐ ঘটনার কোন নেপথ্য নায়ক কিংবা ধারণ করা ঐ ভিডিও চিত্রে যাদেরকে তাঁর কথা মতো অর্থ ও খাদ্য বিতরণ করতে দেখা গেছে, তাঁদের বিরুদ্ধে সরকার কেন কোন শাস্তিমূলক ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণ করেনি, তখন তিনি এর কোন সদুত্তর দিতে পারেননি। কেবল এটুকুই বলেছেন যে দীর্ঘদিন তিনি দেশের বাইরে থাকায় ঐ ঘটনা সম্পর্কে সর্বসাম্প্রতিক কি ব্যবস্থা নেয়া হচ্ছে সে বিষয়ে তিনি অবগত নন।

দুই
বস্তুত সে দিনের ঐ সেমিনারের এই জিজ্ঞাসাটি কেবল মাত্র কোন বিশেষ শিক্ষক কিংবা কোন বিশেষ সাংবাদিকের জিজ্ঞাসা নয়। এ জিজ্ঞাসা সকলেরই। ঢাকা ও রাজশাহী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষকদের গ্রেপ্তারের ঘটনা এখন ও রহস্যজালে আবৃত রয়েছে। স্বচ্ছতা ও জবাবদিহিতার প্রতি বিশ্বস্ত থাকার জন্যে সরকারের আইন ও তথ্য উপদেষ্টা যখন অনেক কথাই বলছেন তখন এই সরকার এখনও পর্যন্ত এদের বিরুদ্ধে জরুরী আইন ভঙ্গের মামলা ছাড়া আর কোন রাজনৈতিক উদ্দেশ্য প্রণোদিত অভিযোগ আনতে পেরেছে বলে কেউই জানায়নি। অন্যদিকে কোটি কোটি টাকা ছড়ানো সম্পর্কে অনেকের বাগাড়ম্বরপূর্ণ উক্তি সত্বেও আমরা এখনো সরকারের কাছে শুনিনি যে এ ধরণের কোন ব্যক্তি বা সংগঠনের বিরুদ্ধে সরকার কোন ব্যবস্থা নিয়েছে। অথচ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে অনেকটা স্বতস্ফুর্ত ভাবে যে বিক্ষোভ হয়েছিল তার দায়ে শিক্ষক সমিতির দু জন কর্মকর্তা সহ অন্যান্যদের ওপর ও চাপানো হয়েছে। শিক্ষক সমিতির সাধারণ সম্পাদক অধ্যাপক আনোয়ার হোসেনকে দিয়ে ক্ষমা প্রার্থনা করিয়ে নেয়ার পর ও তিনি এবং তাঁর সহকর্মীদের যে এখন ও আটক রাখা হয়েছে, সেটি বিস্ময়কর। রাজশাহী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষকদের বিষয়টি ও প্রমাণ সাপেক্ষ । সেখানকার সাবেক উপাচার্য অধ্যাপক সাইদুর রহমান খান সম্পর্কে রাজনীতির একজন গুরু ব্যক্তি যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের একটি ঘরোয়া আলোচনায় বললেন তাঁকে নাকি আটক করা হয়েছে অতীত কর্মকান্ডের জন্যে। অতএব তাঁর শাস্তি অনিবার্য। অধ্যাপক সাইদুর রহমান খান, বিগত আওয়ামী লীগ সরকারের আমলে রাজশাহী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের উপাচার্য ছিলেন এবং যদ্দুর জানা যায় এর পর থেকে তিনি পাঠদানের কাজেই নিবিষ্ট থেকেছেন বরাবর । তবে আওয়ামী লীগ আমলে উপাচার্যের দায়িত্ব পালনের কারণে যদি অধ্যাপক সাইদুর রহমান খান এই শাস্তি পেয়ে থাকেন এবং তা অনিবার্য হয়ে থাকে , তা হলে সে রহস্যের জাল ভেদ করা দুস্কর। অন্তত ঐ রাজনৈতিক দার্শনিক, যিনি এই তত্বাবধায়ক সরকারের একনিষ্ঠ সমর্থক এবং কেউ কেউ মনে করেন যে বর্তমান সরকারের অবস্থান এবং তার ভবিষ্যৎ কর্মপরিকল্পনার পেছনে তাঁর রাজনৈতিক দর্শন কাজ করছে তাঁর সঙ্গে আলোচনার পর মনে হয়েছে অনেকেরই যে ড: সাইদুর রহমান খান আওয়ামী ঘরানার লোক হবার কারণে তাঁর জন্যে শাস্তি অনিবার্য । এই যদি সিদ্ধান্ত হয়ে থাকে সরকারের এবং কোন বিশেষ নীতি আদর্শের কারণে কোন বুদ্ধিজীবি যদি দমন নিপীড়নের সম্মুখীন হন, তা হলে এ সরকারের যৌক্তিক কাজগুলো ও অযথা বিতর্কিত হয়ে পড়বে। মনে রাখা প্রয়োজন যে সাধারণ মানুষ সরকারের সব কাজকে একটি প্যাকেজ হিসেবে বিবেচনা করে এবং সেই থোক বিবেচনার কোন অংশ যদি ত্রুটিপূর্ণ হয় তা হলে গোটা কাজ নিয়েই প্রশ্ন ওঠে নির্বিঘ্নে।

আসলে শিক্ষকদের এই গ্রেপ্তারের ঘটনার পেছনে যে সব যুক্তি দেখানো হচ্ছে এবং গোটা দেশ জুড়ে যে অচলাবস্থার সৃষ্টির কথা বলা হয়েছে তার সঙ্গে শিক্ষকদের সংশ্লিষ্টতা বিশ্বাসযোগ্য বলে মনে হয়নি কারও কাছেই। আর এই বিশ্বাসযোগ্যতার অভাব সরকারের বেশ কিছু সাফল্যকেও খানিকটা ম্লান করে দিয়েছে। শিক্ষক-ছাত্রের সংশ্লিষ্টতার কথা তদন্ত কমিটির সামনে ও আসেনি। তদন্ত কমিটির সভাপতি বিচারপতি হাবিবুর রহমান খানও বলেছেন যে শহর ব্যাপী বিস্তৃত বিশৃঙ্খলায় শিক্ষকদের জড়িত থাকার কোন প্রমাণ তিনি পাননি। বিষয়টি যদি স্বাধীন তদন্ত কমিটি এই নিরিখে বিবেচনা করে থাকে, তা হলে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ঐ ঘটনা কোন ক্রমেই জাতীয় বিশৃঙ্খলার জন্যে দায়ী হতে পারে না।

তিন
বুদ্ধিজীবিদের অতীতেও এমন কিছু বিষয়ের সঙ্গে যুক্ত করে তাদেরকে অভিযুক্ত করার প্রচেষ্টা সরকার চালিয়েছে , যার পেছনে যুক্তির চেয়ে ক্ষমতার শক্তিটাই বড় হয়ে দেখা দিয়েছে। বাংলাদেশে যে কারও বিরুদ্ধে যে বানোয়াট অভিযোগ আনা যেতে পারে এবং সে অভিযোগে যে তাঁর শাস্তি ও হতে পারে , তার একটি প্রকৃষ্ট দৃষ্টান্ত হচ্ছে বি এন পি জামায়াত জোট সরকারের আমলে , ময়মনসিংহের সিনেমা হলগুলোতে বোমা বিস্ফোরণের সঙ্গে সম্পৃক্ত থাকার অভিযোগে অধ্যাপক মুনতাসির মামুনকে আটক করার ঘটনা। সুস্থ বুদ্ধি সম্পন্ন মানুষ মাত্রেরই তখনই মনে হয়েছিল যে মুনতাসির মামুনের মুক্ত ও মৌলবাদ বিরোধী অবস্থান সরকারের পছন্দসই নয় বলে , তাঁকে ফাঁসিয়ে দেয়ার অভিপ্রায়ে সরকার শেষ পর্যন্ত তাঁকে গ্রেপ্তার করে , নির্যাতন ও চালায়। সম্প্রতি তো প্রমাণিত হলো যে জে এম বি ‘র সদস্যরাই ঐ সিনেমা হলগুলোতে হামলা চালিয়ে ছিল। ইংরেজিতে একটা কথা আছে যার বাংলা হলো কখনো কখনো বাস্তব কল্পকাহিনীর চেয়ে ও অবাস্তব হতে পারে। ড: মুনতাসির মামুনের বিরুদ্ধে, জে এম বি ‘র মতো বোমা ফাটানোর অভিযোগ এ রকমই এক অবাস্তব অবিশ্বাসযোগ্য অভিযোগ ছিল। একাত্তরের ঘাতক দালাল নির্মূল কমিটির এক সময়কার সাধারণ সম্পাদক এবং সাংস্কৃতিক ব্যক্তিত্ব হাসান ইমামের বিরুদ্ধে তেমনি রমনার বটমূলে এবং উদীচির অনুষ্ঠানে বোমা বিস্ফোরণের অভিযোগ আনা হয়েছে। যে অভিযোগ প্রত্যাহার না হওয়ার কারণে তিনি এখনও দেশের বাইরে অবস্থান করছেন। তাঁর বিদেশ অবস্থান নিয়ে নানান মত রয়েছে, সেটি ভিন্ন প্রসঙ্গ কিন্তু হাসান ইমাম যে রমনার বটমূলে বোমা বিস্ফোরণ ঘটাতে পারেন এ অভিযোগ ও তেমনি কল্পকাহিনীকে হার মানায় । মুনতাসির মামুন কিংবা হাসান ইমামরা যদি জে এম বি ‘র আদর্শ বাস্তাবায়নে ব্রতী হয়ে সন্ত্রাসী হয়ে ওঠেন , তা হলে এর চেয়ে বিচিত্র ও বিস্ময়কর কী হতে পারে ! অথচ সাবেক বি এন পি-জামায়াত জোট সরকার এমনি সব অভিযোগ এনেছিলেন বাংলাদেশের বুদ্ধিজীবিদের বিরুদ্ধে। বস্তুত তাঁদের ধ্যান ধারনার সঙ্গে দ্বিমত প্রকাশ করার এবং বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা বিরোধীদের শায়েস্তা করার প্রস্তাব আনার জন্যেই এ সব কৃত্রিম ব্যবস্থা নেয়া হয়েছিল তদানীন্তন সরকারের আমলে। কিন্তু এখনকার সরকার তো মুক্তিযুদ্ধের আদর্শের প্রতি তাদের অবিচল প্রতিশ্রুতি জ্ঞাপন করেছে সেই প্রথম দিন থেকেই। যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের যে বিচার করা হয়নি , সে বিষয়ে ক্ষোভ ও প্রকাশ করেছে সরকার। তা হলে কি সরকারের একাংশের ভেতরেই সচল রয়েছে সেই ভূত যার পা পেছন দিকে এবং গোটা জাতিকে পেছনের দিকে ক্রমশই টানছে সেই ভূত যা আবার অনেকটা সিন্দবাদের দৈত্যের মতো চেপে বসেছে আমাদের জাতির ঘাড়ে। এই দৈত্যকে নামানোর দায়িত্ব কিন্তু এই সরকারের ওপরই বর্তায়।

চার
সম্প্রতি ড কামাল হোসেন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বিষয়ক তদন্ত কমিটির সামনে স্পষ্টতই বলেছেন যে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় খুলে দেওয়ার আগে শিক্ষকদের মুক্তি দেওয়া আবশ্যক। ড কামাল হোসেন, যিনি এই তত্বাবধায়ক সরকারের অনেকগুলো সদর্থক কাজ সমর্থন করেছেন, তিনি ও অনুভব করেন যে এই সব বুদ্ধিজীবিকে আটক রাখার একটা নক্রার্থক প্রভাব পড়বে গোটা দেশে। বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের প্রভাব আমাদের জাতীয় রাজনীতিতে যে কতখানি গভীর ও ব্যাপক সে কথা যেমন এই বিদগ্ধ আইনজীবি জানেন, তেমনি জানেন দেশের সাধারণ মানুষ ও। আমাদের স্বকীয় ইতিহাস নির্মাণে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ভুমিকা ছিল সব চেয়ে অগ্রগণ্য। ভাষা আন্দোলন থেকে শুরু করে, স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের পতাকা উত্তোলন পর্যন্ত এবং তার মধ্যবর্তী ও পরবর্তী আন্দোলনেও বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষক -ছাত্ররা বলিষ্ঠ ভুমিকা পালন করেছেন। কামাল হোসেন যথার্থই বলেছেন যে শিক্ষকদের মুক্তি দেওয়া প্রয়োজন,তবে সে কেবল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় খোলার কৌশলগত কারণে নয়, শিক্ষকরা আদৌ ব্যাপক গোলযোগের সঙ্গে জড়িত ছিলেন কী না সেটি প্রমাণিত না হওয়ারও কারণেও। এমনিতেই সরকার এ ব্যাপারে পরস্পর বিরোধী পদক্ষেপ নিয়েছে । স্বাধীন তদন্ত কমিশন গঠনের মতো প্রশংসনীয় কাজের সঙ্গেই আবার কমিশনের রিপোর্ট প্রাপ্তি কিংবা প্রকাশের আগেই সরকার যে সব শিক্ষক -ছাত্রকে গ্রেপ্তার করেছে তার মধ্যে একটা পরস্পর বিরোধী দৃষ্টিভঙ্গির পরিস্কার প্রমাণ পাওয়া যায়। এই স্ববিরোধীতা পরিহারের জন্যেই বোধ করি ড কামাল হোসেন এই আহ্বান জানিয়েছেন। তাঁর ঐ আহ্বানে অবশ্য রাজনীতিতে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষক ছাত্রের ভুমিকা সম্পর্কে কমিশনের একটি পরামর্শের বিষয়টিও ছিল। বস্তুত বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষকদের রাজনীতির সঙ্গে জাতীয় রাজনীতির যে টুকু মিল সেটি আদর্শিক।

বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের কোন শিক্ষকই রাজনৈতিক দলের সঙ্গে এমন ভাবে সম্পৃক্ত নন যে তাঁকে রাজনীতিক হিসেবে দেখার প্রয়োজন আছে। কোন কোন শিক্ষক বড় জোর কোন রাজনৈতিক দলের উপদেষ্টার ভুমিকার পালন করেছেন কিন্তু সে ভুমিকা পালন কালেও তিনি মাঠের রাজনীতির সঙ্গে এতখানি সম্পৃক্ত হননি যে মেরুকরণের পর্যায়ে যেতে পারে কিংবা তার প্রভাব ছাত্রছাত্রীদের মধ্যেও বিস্তৃত হতে দেননি। অধিকাংশ শিক্ষকই রাজনৈতিক মতাদর্শকে অনেকটা তাত্বিক বিষয় হিসেবে দেখে থাকেন এবং থিঙ্ক ট্যাঙ্কের সদস্য হিসেবে মতামত প্রকাশ করে থাকেন। এর সঙ্গে দলীয় রাজনীতির যোগাযোগ নেই বললেই চলে। আর তাত্বিক ভাবে রাজনৈতিক মতাদর্শ নিয়ে বিচার বিশ্লেষণের প্রয়োজন অবশ্যই আছে, সেটি বন্ধ করলে ভাবনার জগতে খরা দেখা দেবে। আসলে এ ব্যাপারে শিক্ষকদের নিজেদের ওপরই নিজেদের নিয়ন্ত্রণ রাখতে হবে। সেই “চেক এন্ড ব্যালেন্স” যদি রক্ষা করা যায় , তা হলে শিক্ষকদের মতামত প্রকাশের ওপর অতিরিক্ত কোন বিধিনিষেধের প্রয়োজন নেই।

পাঁচ
এ কথা সত্যি যে কেউই আইনের ঊর্ধ্বে নন, শিক্ষকরাও নন । কিন্তু আইনের সঠিক ব্যাখ্যা ও প্রয়োগেরও প্রয়োজন রয়েছে। কোন মতামতকে দমন করার জন্যে আইনের আশ্রয় গ্রহণ করাট্রাও বে আইনী। বাংলাদেশে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় শিক্ষকেদের বিরুদ্ধে যে অভিযোগগুলো এসছে , সেগুলো প্রমাণ সাপেক্ষ বিষয় । সরকার যদি স্বতঃপ্রবৃত্ত হয়ে এদের অন্তত জামিনে মুক্তির ব্যবস্থায় কোন বাধা না দেয়, তা হলে গোটা জাতি অন্তত এ কথা ভাববে যে সন্দেহের সুযোগ সরকার নিচ্ছে না বরঞ্চ সেই সুবিধেটুকু যারা অভিযুক্ত তাদেরকে দেওয়া হচ্ছে । এতেই সম্ভব দুষ্টের দমন, শিষ্টের পালন । নইলে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষকরা মতাদর্শের কারণেই নিগৃহীত হবেন আর শিক্ষা ক্ষেত্রে কাঙ্খিত শান্তি হতে পারে বিঘ্নিত। তদন্ত কমিশনের চূড়ান্ত রিপোর্ট প্রাপ্তির আগে শিক্ষকদের আটক রাখাটা যথার্থ কী না সেটা ভেবে দেখার এখনই সময়। কোন ঘটনার পুর্ন তদন্ত ছাড়া কেবলমাত্র অপব্যাখ্যার ওপর নির্ভর করে, আদশিক কারণে যাঁদের বন্দী করা হলো, তাঁরাতো এখন ও পর্যন্ত কেবল বিবেক বন্দী ব্যক্তি । আর কে না জানে, আইনের সেই প্রথম পাঠ যে অপরাধ প্রমাণিত না হওয়া পর্যন্ত, অভিযুক্ত মাত্রই নির্দোষ !
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১২ই অক্টোবর ২০০৭ ‘এর সমকালে প্রকাশিত
মন্তব্যের জন্য ইমেইল ঠিকানা : aauniruddho@gmail.com

Pinprick cartoons & blasphemous cats

Pinprick cartoons & blasphemous cats
By Shamsuddin Yusuf
October 1, 2007
Source: altmuslim.com

In Bangladesh, a cartoon controversy says more about the country's political polarisation than it does about religious offense

Another cartoon controversy has hit the Muslim world. But this time, it is not part of the European dynamic made familiar by the 2006 Denmark crisis and its lesser known Scandinavian cousin this year. This time the action is unfolding in Bangladesh, home to the world's fourth largest Muslim population (after Indonesia, Pakistan and India). And this time, it’s about more than blasphemy.

Last month, Bangladesh authorities arrested twenty year old cartoonist Arifur Rahman, on charges of blasphemy and sedition for a cartoon he drew in the satirical magazine Alpin ("pin prick"). In it, he depicts an imam telling a small boy that he should always add the prefix "Mohammed" before a name, which leads to the boy referring to the cat in his lap as "Mohammed Beral (cat)." Islamist parties quickly denounced the cartoon, the government arrested the hapless cartoonist, and the editor of Alpin was immediately fired.

Things might have rested there, but the intervention of smaller Islamist groups, such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir, led to demands that the parent newspaper of Alpin, Prothom Alo, be shut down, and its editor and publisher, Motiur Rahman and Mahfuz Anam, sacked. This was no insignificant demand - Prothom Alo is the largest circulation newspaper in the country, and Rahman and Anam two of Bangladesh's most powerful media personalities.

After Friday prayers, Hizb-ut-Tahrir activists burned copies of the newspaper, and clashed with police. Peace talks were brokered between Prothom Alo and religious leaders, leading to a public apology from Rahman to the khatib of the National Mosque. The uneasy calm that followed in Dhaka was threatened by the discovery of another allegedly blasphemous reference in a literary magazine published by Prothom Alo, Shaptahik 2000, by the exiled poet Daud Haider. Worried about fresh trouble, the magazine was instantly pulled from newsstands and banned. The issue is not over yet.

Bangladesh has a long history of blasphemy related controversies, starting the year after its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Cultural icons, practices, and language were key motifs in the country’s struggles against Pakistani rule (Bengali poets Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam were re-appropriated as "Hindu" and "Muslim" respectively). After Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, the culture wars became a key dividing line between Islamist and "secular" (or religious freedom) politics. In this trajectory, controversies targeted blasphemous writings by Haider (exiled in Germany), Taslima Nasreen (subject of global attention after a fatwa and bounty, now exiled in India), Ahmad Sharif (prosecuted in court and forced to apologise) and Humayun Azad (nearly killed in a brutal machete attack, but succumbing to related injuries in Germany later on).

In all these cases, electoral politics are often a bigger factor than genuine, widespread religious sentiment. The country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has used blasphemy controversies to bring itself to national prominence, forcing governments to negotiate with them amidst the uproar. Even though Islamist politics were banned in the aftermath of the country’s independence – Jamaat supported Pakistan during the 1971 war and formed death squads targeting leading Bangladeshi professors and intellectuals – Jamaat has been able to rehabilitate itself through these kinds of mass mobilizations. By 2001, Jamaat entered the government for the first time, securing two powerful ministries. Since then, Jamaat has found itself benefiting politically from recurring blasphemy controversies that serve to stoke religious fervor in their political base.

In the latest controversy, similar motives may be at play. The current Information Minister, Mainul Hossein (who issued the arrest order), owns the daily Ittefaq, one of Prothom Alo's rivals. With Prothom Alo's critical stance against Islamists, it has garnered many sworn enemies.

Currently Bangladesh is under an army-backed caretaker government, with a promised transition to democracy in 2008 looking increasingly shaky and uncertain. The military has vowed to crush corruption, arresting the leaders of both main political parties, as well as numerous party bigwigs. But some complain that Jamaat-e-Islami has been left alone in the current anti-corruption drive, because of sympathy within the Army. The manner in which the government gave in to blasphemy demands, and the light touch given to cartoon demonstrators (even though all protests and rallies are supposed to be banned under a "state of emergency") seems to give further evidence of the caretaker government’s bias.

Recently, unrelated riots on national university campuses were sparked by altercations between students and the Army, resulting in a draconian crackdown and more power to military hardliners. The Prothom Alo controversy has to be seen and analyzed within that context. As with similar cases worldwide, these issues have little to do with piety or protecting the Prophet - and more to do with political maneuvers galvanised under the name of Islam.
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Shamsuddin Yusuf is a writer and activist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's Epicenter of Political Tumult

This is an in-depth analysis of the Dhaka University incident published in the Washington Post. The current military backed government has really underestimated the strength, conscience and sacrifice of the students and teachers for freedom and democracy in Bangladesh. The photo that the Army can not stand will be the stark reality in the future if they don't get the message.

Bangladesh's Epicenter of Political Tumult
Students and Teachers at Dhaka University Fulfill a Tradition of Protest, and Pay the Price

By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 23, 2007; A18

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Nearly every political milestone in Bangladesh has its roots in the stately, tree-lined campus of the University of Dhaka, where student-led protests have repeatedly given rise to sweeping changes in government. So it came as little surprise to many students last month when the anti-government rallies they started mushroomed into violent street demonstrations in other cities.

According to the common axiom here: So goes the campus, so goes the nation.

"The DU campus is a barometer for the country's political mood. Because of our long history of poverty and bad government, it's been in the students' interest to be politically active," said Aninda Rahman, a 24-year-old English student at the university. "It's the students' duty within the framework of Bangladesh to give a voice to the people."

Today, however, several weeks after the most dramatic protests yet against the military-backed interim government, it's become clear that the university and its students have paid a price for their activism. Some students and teachers thought to be behind the protests have been jailed. The government has shut down the campus, putting padlocks on the lecture halls and emptying out the dorms. Officials said the campus may open after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ends in mid-October.

Such disruptions are not unusual in this South Asian country, where there have been 22 coups -- some successful -- since its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Some students say it takes up to six years to complete a degree because the university is often shut down during political tumult.

"Sometimes the students think, there just has to be a better way," said Mahinur Rahamar, 23, a business student. "It's frustrating when school keeps getting shut down. Our families are working class, and they suffer when we can't finish our degrees. But that has always been our tradition. I'm not sure it can change."

The current political controversy centers on opposition to an interim government that came to power in January. Diplomats say the government, led by respected banker Fakhruddin Ahmed, quickly won international respect for protecting the judiciary's independence, ending partisanship in the election commission, requiring voter registration cards in elections, and helping to clean up a political system that is perennially ranked by Transparency International as one of the world's most corrupt.

But now many of those same diplomats who praised the government fear that the crackdown on corruption, and on students and professors, has gone too far. Rights groups point to mass arrests and the brutal suppression of student protests. Human Rights Watch, based in New York, says as many as 20,000 people have been jailed on corruption charges in the past seven months.

While the University of Dhaka has been leading the protests, it has also become the front line for what is being called the "Battle of the Begums," or women of high rank, a reference in this case to the two women who have dominated Bangladesh's politics for the past 16 years. Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, the leaders of the two main political parties, have been jailed on corruption charges. But their supporters are widely seen as polluting the school's tradition of independent political activism by bribing student leaders and encouraging professors to back their causes.

Bangladesh's interim government insists that much of the recent student activism stems less from political conviction than from aggressive recruiting tactics by political parties. The parties have agents as old as 40 living on campus as "student leaders," working to influence student votes, critics and diplomats say.

"Our Socratic tradition has always been one of our greatest strengths," said Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a government adviser and a former ambassador to the United Nations. "But now, I think the students and even some of the professors are taken over by professional politicians."

According to local reports, the August protests began innocently enough. In what has become known as the "Umbrella Incident," a university student haplessly opened his wet umbrella, splashing a soldier. That set off a tiny scuffle. But the scuffle was enough to provoke students to vent outrage over the presence of troops on their campus.

The day after the Umbrella Incident, M. Anwar Hossain, a respected biochemistry professor, helped organize a demonstration to address a growing list of grievances with the government, not the least of which was the banning of protests -- part of a martial law imposed seven months ago to squelch public outcry against the military-backed interim government's delay in holding elections.

Soon after, Hossain was arrested at his home for inciting an uprising. He is still in jail, awaiting trial.

Amnesty International, along with foreign diplomats, has asked for Hossain's release. Hossain's son, Sanjeeb, a 22-year-old law student, has said his father is not politically involved with the jailed protest leaders and was only trying be a guardian for the students, helping them demonstrate against a repressive regime.

"It's scary when professors and students are in jail, since it's like the soul of the country is behind bars," Sanjeeb Hossain said in an interview. "This is terrible for our family and terrible for Bangladesh. It's not as simple as just to blame all of this on politics. He was trying to protect student rights, that was it."

Some of the country's most famous sons graduated from this school, including dozens of elected officials and internationally recognized leaders, such as Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Fazlur Rahman Khan, considered the greatest architectural engineer of the second half of the 20th century for his design of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago.

Today, most students at the University of Dhaka are from working-class and middle-class backgrounds. They see themselves as the voice of a largely poor and illiterate nation.

Their position as protectors is perhaps best illustrated by a photo that surfaced here recently. The image, which has been widely circulated on the Internet, shows an unarmed student kicking an army soldier. It has become such a stirring emblem of the students' power that the photojournalist who took the picture has gone into hiding, fearing for his life.

"That photograph said it all," said Shahidul Alam, a renowned photo gallery director in Dhaka. "That image is such a powerful symbol of our times. It shows the power of unarmed students against the ego of the military."

Bangladesh to militarize education

Bangladesh to militarize education
September 17, 2007
RATER ZONAKI
Source: UPI Asia Online

One more senior teacher at Dhaka University has been detained on charges of breaking the county's emergency rules. Professor Sadrul Amin, president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, was locked up in the Dhaka Central Jail on Sunday. He is one of four teachers at the university charged over "provocative" speeches that allegedly caused a breech of the emergency rules on August 21 and 22. Fourteen students have been charged for the same offence.

Amin surrendered himself Sunday, three days after Dhaka court magistrate Ferdous Ahmed issued a warrant for his arrest and that of another teacher, Dr. Nimchandra Bhoumik. This follows the arrests of two other teachers of the same university as well as four teachers of Rajshahi University. All together seven teachers from the two recognized public universities have been detained. Bhoumik, who is considered a fugitive by the police, will be arrested shortly.

The teachers are being blamed for violence that erupted between students and military personnel during a sports event on campus. But has the government really tried to asses why such violence occurred? It is part of a larger picture of socio-economic chaos throughout the country.

For example, ready-made garment manufacturers have announced a 35 percent reduction in orders in the seven months of emergency rule compared to the same period last year, resulting in employment for thousands of already poorly-paid workers. Inflation is at its highest in ten years, with the prices of many daily commodities beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

The government has done nothing to develop the economy or alleviate unemployment, which affects millions of laborers. How can people survive in a workless, worthless and militarized land? The people are being suffocated at the hands of the military-backed government.

This situation easily leads to unrest on the streets, and is a factor in what happened at Dhaka University last month. The police are investigating, but the people also have a right to ask a few questions. Wherein lies the legitimacy of such a prolonged state of emergency in the country? Why should the people remain mum despite their tremendous sufferings caused by the military-backed government?

The government does not have the courage to answer such questions. The leaders have turned the county's institutions, including Dhaka University, into sacrificial lambs in order to implement their own policies and strategies. Now they are in the process of establishing a Military University.

According to news reports, the armed forces received approval from the president in June to set up this new type of educational institution. It is to combine general education with courses in military science, technology and weaponry, so the armed forces will not have to recruit from other academic institutions. Also, the armed forces can better shape the mindsets of the students as well as the nation as a whole.

Under the new hierarchy the armed forces are the dominant class in society. So the students at the Military University will be boosted to a higher status, like their masters, and help them dominate other segments of society.

The country's budget for education this year is at its highest since 1992. Yet a great proportion of that budget has been diverted to military academies. This is in addition to the undisclosed amount of money allocated to the armed forces, which is believed to be the highest item on the government's annual budget. Setting up a Military University will automatically ensure that this institution receives the maximum proportion of the country's educational resources.

Dhaka University is one of the country's few institutions that have enjoyed true autonomy until now. Perhaps the military authorities see it as obstructing their intentions. Military officials do not like the fact that the university enjoys high status in society, as well as full-fledged autonomy. It also has a history of defying tyranny under the British colonial regime and under rule by Pakistan.

Realizing this, the government tried to control Dhaka University and others by drafting an act that placed them under one authority and limited their autonomy. Professor Anwar Hossain -- who is in detention now -- protested strongly against this "umbrella act." Ultimately, the government failed to impose its "chain of command" over the universities.

When a number of political leaders including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were arrested earlier this year, Dhaka University Teachers Association leaders criticized the approach and attitude of the government and its ill-treatment of the detainees. Now the government is taking revenge upon the university, the professors and students in general.

By arresting simple-hearted persons like Sadrul Amin, the military-backed government is laying the foundation for the Military University in Bangladesh. Now the government can show the world that all professors are culprits except those appointed by the armed forces.

Bangladesh is headed toward becoming a "utopia" in which there is no voice but that of the military, and no institution without the involvement of the armed forces. In the eyes of its citizens, it is becoming a land of brutality imposed by barbarians.
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(Rater Zonaki is the pseudonym of a human rights defender of Bangladesh who has been working on human rights issues in the country for more than a decade. He was a journalist in Bangladesh in the 1990s.)