NEWSPAPER report on Friday said Rajshahi City Awami League general secretary and his men assaulted Rajshahi University Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Mizanuddin on the previous day in presence of senior teachers in his office. He threatened the VC of dire consequences, including immediate removal from his post, if he doesn’t give appointments to his party men in university administration. The incident occurred just a day after Rajshahi local lawmaker Omar Faruque Chowdhury assaulted the VC in his office shouting on his face. Witnesses said, the City Awami League leader also hurled abusive language at the VC and other professors. But denying the allegations the city Awami League leaders now say the VC was patronizing Jamaat-BNPmen on campus and they went there to demand change in the policy.Reports however said local Awami League lawmaker and former state minister Omar Faruque Chowdhury was angry with the VC for fixing a fine of Tk 25 lakh on his medical college (Shah Makhdum Medical College) for admitting students before the academic approval of RU authorities to the college. On the other hand the City Awami League leaders were unhappy with the varsity authorities for failing to give appointment to the party men as per a list they have prepared for compliance. So a gang of 30 ruling party men gathered at the VC’s office, hurled abusive language, shouted at him and demanded immediate appointment of their men. But when the VC said he could not break the rules and ‘everything will be run as per the University Ordinance’ they staged the assault. Later the VC protested the assault and demanded remedy from the Chancellor of the University, who is the President of the Republic.It appears a total break down of law and order and the ruling party men went out to threaten the VC with dire consequences. It raises question if the government leaders become anarchist, who would save the public institutions from chaos. In fact the undemocratic show of an election in 2014 has paved the road for certain elements of the government to act in an undemocratic manner. The brazen and shameless ‘showing off’ of power is the resultant byproduct of the rule of an undemocratic regime. What’s alarming is that such an incident only represents the tip of the iceberg. The populace of the country are hostage to the will of undesirable elements. When the entire system of education is held hostage to the whims of lawmakers who are only interested in making profits and don’t care about regulations and rules it is a sure sign of a degradation in our administrative and educational systems. The administrators of public universities must be allowed to uphold the rules surrounding higher education. Threats of dire consequences resemble the law of the jungle-it has no place in a democracy. The only solution is the return of democracy and the rule of law.
