After widespread criticisms and demonstrations, the hall Provost Prof Sabita Rizwana said that three girls had returned to the dorm after giving written statements that “they would not spread rumours again”. Contradicting witness statements that four girls were driven out of the dorm at night, she insisted that three girls were “handed over to families for counselling. We did not revoke their seats.” Witnesses said two of the students left the dormitory at 11:45pm and 12:15am while the others walked out at 10:30pm. The DU administration has been saying that these students had spread rumours using fake accounts on Facebook during the April 10 incident at the dormitory.
What is clear beyond doubt is that the allegation against girl students was not involvement in any violent act but they were spreading rumours using mobile phones. So there was no immediate crisis for which urgent and arbitrary action of removing their residential hall at midnight was called for. Formal disciplinary proceedings could have been drawn asking to defend themselves. Any responsible citizen would know what the university administration is teaching the student about fairness and one’s legitimate right not to be punished unheard. The university authority seems unaware of their lack of competence that higher education values most freedom of expression. The university should be a place to leaders; not for lackeys.
The provost added that she had a “successful” meeting at the hall with over 500 resident students around 8:30pm. Before throwing out the students from the hall on Thursday, the authorities had gone through the students’ mobile phones. In reality the so-called successful meeting was nothing but a litany of threats against the students who were told that if they protest or spread fake rumours all of their studentships would be revoked.
VC Prof Akhtaruzzaman told reporters at his residence that it was the responsibility of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall authorities to hand over the students, who had spread falsehood on Facebook, to their families. He said it was done to safeguard the dignity of the hall and all the students, and by doing this, the hall authorities did a good job.
Instead of being critical of the conduct of the provost for acting like a bully and for threatening the students and interrogating them about their Facebook posts, the VC endorsed and defended her for taking such outrageous action. The provost has the responsibility for looking after the students and protect them from danger, but behaved like a jail keeper of frightened prisoners.
This clearly shows the moral delinquency of the VC. While it is permissible to punish people who spread fake rumours, throwing female students out in the middle of the night is a medieval era attitude to punishment. There are much more civilised ways to correct such behaviour. Those who took part in the protests are being picked up by DB men while allegations of deaths threats and conspiracies against them exist.
It is painful how university education is being destroyed by politicisation of the worst kind. The Dhaka University authorities have no idea about the autonomy of the university administration. Our appeal to the Vice-Chancellor is: If you cannot maintain autonomy and integrity of the university then show your own integrity and resign. We do not want university administration to become a laughing stock before the whole world. Dhaka University used to enjoy a very pride position among the famous universities everywhere. Do not ruin its reputation as a place of higher learning. The university must be immune from meanness of politics.
