Teachers of Chittagong University (CU) will observe a one-hour work abstention for four days beginning Saturday in condemnation of the attack carried out on their colleagues on Wednesday that left 15 teachers injured, allegedly by Islami Chhatra Shibir activists.
The teachers demanded immediate identification of the perpetrators and their expulsion from the university. They also demanded that those responsible for the attack be brought to book without any further delay.
Chittagong University Teachers Association (CUTA) President Benu Kumar Dey said that the decision for the work abstention was taken at a meeting of the CU’s executive committee in response to the crude bomb attacks that left 15 teachers injured.
“We will abstain from work for an hour every day, from 11:30am-12:30pm, starting from September 13,” he said.
The CUTA President also demanded ban on Shibir politics on the campus and exemplary punishment to those involved in such heinous attack.
“We demand immediate identification of those responsible for the disgraceful attack,” he added. “If our demands are not met by September 16, we will sit and discuss further programmes.”
He further said they met the Vice Chancellor immediately after the incident and he had assured the teachers of providing them additional security. The Vice Chancellor had also said that university buses would move under police protection from now on, he added.
CUTA General Secretary Mustafizur Rahman announced the programme from a rally held in front of the Administrative Building of the university on Thursday afternoon.
Blaming the university authorities for the attack, he alleged that they (varsity authorities) did not take any effective measures although some stray incidents were being taken place for the last one week. Some teachers also demonstrated on campus premises on Thursday and demanded lawful actions against the attackers and also called for their expulsion from the university.
It was reported that the attack was a sequel of feud between the activists of Shibir and ruling Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
Meanwhile, two cases were filed on Wednesday night against at least 86 leaders, activists and supporters of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, including its campus unit president, over the attack.
Sub-Inspector Manjur Ahmed filed a case against 25 named Shibir activists, supporters and upto 45 anonymous others.
CU Shibir President Mostafizur Rahman, General Secretary Mohiuddin Sarkar and Abu Bakr Siddique Ullah, chief Imam of the Central Jame Mosque on campus, have been made the prime accused in the case, police sources said.
“The chief Imam may be involved with the Shibir activists and the attack,” the sources said. This case has been filed under the Special Powers Act and Explosive Substances Act.
In the other case, Rabiul Islam, director of Transport Department at the university, accused upto 16 anonymous people for vandalising two university buses and exploding crude bombs.
Police already detained 20 people, including 5 Shibir activists, following the attack and later recovered some arms and ammunitions, and leaflets and banners of Shibir from a cottage near Suhrawardy Hall.
Throughout the day police raided the ‘cottages’ or privately owned dorms. “Near one of the cottages, we found several sharp weapons, nine handmade bombs, a pipe gun and bomb-making equipment,” Chittagong Additional Superintendent of Police Md Shahidullah said.
The five caught immediately after the attacks are Akhtaruzzaman, Sabbir Howladar, Md Towhid, Imran Ali and Md Yunus.
Assistant Superintendent of Police AFM Nizam Uddin said these five had confessed to being involved in the bombing. At least 15 people, including 11 CU faculty members, were injured around 10:00am Wednesday when handmade bombs were lobbed at two CU buses.
It is to be noted that the CU authorities on January 12 shut down the Shah Amanat Residential Hall after two students died in a clash between Shibir and BCL activists. This hall is also under the control of Shibir activists.
A student strike was called from Aug 31 under the banner of ‘Residential Hall Students’ after the incident.
Earlier on September 1, miscreants hurled handmade bombs from a field at Choudhuryhaat targeting a shuttle train heading for the university. A teachers’ bus was also attacked on September 4 at the port city’s Pahartali area.
