Court declares prosecution witness hostile

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A prosecution witness was declared ‘hostile’ yesterday for concealing facts in one of the two cases filed against four teachers and 15 students of Dhaka University (DU) for violating the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) in August last year.

Metropolitan Magistrate Habibur Rahman Siddiqui declared Dewan Safayet Ahmed, a fourth-year student of Social Welfare and Research Institute, hostile after the prosecution submitted a petition.

Three witnesses gave their statements before the same court yesterday. They were cross-examined by the defence lawyers of the four teachers and a student, who are in jail custody.

But they did not say anything against the teachers or the students.

In the petition, Court Sub-inspector (CSI) Asaduzzaman said the witness concealed facts which he disclosed before the investigation officer (IO) and a magistrate during the investigation of the case.

The witness did not reveal the facts as he was influenced by the defence. So, he needs to be declared hostile, he said.

After hearing both the sides, the court granted the prosecution petition and fixed tomorrow for next hearing of the case. The prosecution will cross-examine the witness the same day.

The three other witnesses are Ahsan Ullah, assistant secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Central Committee, ABM Khorshed Alam, a physician, and Yusuf Harun, a peon of DU Proctor Prof AK Firoz Ahmed.

The four teachers are Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (Duta) President Prof Sadrul Amin, its General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain, Science Faculty Dean Prof Harun-ar-Rashid and applied physics department Chairman Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik.

DU student Moniruzzaman Sardar, who was arrested earlier, is now in jail custody.

SAFAYET’S STATEMENT YESTERDAY
Dewan Safayet Ahmed, a fourth-year student of DU, yesterday told the court that violence erupted on DU campus and its adjacent areas following a scuffle between a student and an army member on August 20.

At one stage students from different DU dormitories gathered there in the evening and surrounded the army camp on the campus

He did not say anything against the teachers and the students.

SAFAYET’S STATEMENT ON JANUARY 3
Safayet on January 3 accused Duta General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain and several students of making provocative speeches and damaging vehicles on August 21-22 last year.

But he did not say anything against Duta President Prof Sadrul Amin, Science Faculty Dean Prof Harun-ar-Rashid and applied physics department Chairman Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik.

Safayet said violence broke out on the campus and its adjacent areas after a scuffle between a student and an army person on the DU playground on August 20.

In his statement, Safayet told the court that following the scuffle, students from different university halls thronged the scene in the evening and surrounded the army camp on the DU campus.

He said Hassan Mahmud, Saiful Islam Firoz, Shamsul Kabir Jiku and Quamruzzaman were present there.

Safayet said the university students and policemen got involved in attacks and counter attacks.

A group of students gathered at the Arts Faculty building the next day and torched an effigy in front of Rokeya Hall. Then they marched towards Shahbagh and Nilkhet and damaged vehicles, Safayet stated.

The witness said in the afternoon the same day he went to the Duta office where a general meeting was going on. He saw Duta President Prof Sadrul Amin coming out of the office.

Duta leaders and students, wearing black badges, gathered at Aparajeyo Bangla and brought out a silent procession on August 22. It ended at the Central Shaheed Minar where Prof Anwar gave a speech, the prosecution witness said.

The four accused teachers were permitted to sit on a bench in the dock during yesterday’s hearing.

A case was filed against some 6,000 unnamed students and teachers of DU and outsiders on August 22 for violating the EPR, vandalising public and private properties, obstructing the police from discharging their duties, and assaulting law enforcers on the campus and its adjacent areas.

But the police pressed charges against four teachers and 15 students of DU on September 9 for instigating violence on the campus and in Shahbagh area on August 21-22.

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