Bangladesh News

Leaders of different political parties yesterday hailed a court verdict that acquitted Dhaka University (DU) teachers and students in connection with the August violence on campus, saying the judgment proved the teachers were absolutely innocent.

They also said it was unfortunate that the four teachers and the student, who were under arrest, had to endure sufferings in the last few months.

Welcoming the verdict, legal experts and civil society members urged the government to take immediate steps for settling the remaining issues.

They also held the government responsible for not handling such a sensitive affair in a thoughtful manner, saying that the ongoing demonstrations on the campus could have been avoided.

Praising the verdict, Awami League Presidium Member Suranjit Sengupta said all of them should be released.

Terming Dhaka University the Oxford of the East, BNP Standing Committee Member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said the court verdict and the presidential mercy for the convicted students is a “respectful solution” to the crisis.

Rizvi Ahmed, acting office secretary of pro-Khaleda faction of BNP, said students and teachers are the enlightened people of our country and it is their duty to protest wrongdoings. The verdict proves that they have committed no crime.

Jatiya Party acting Chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud told The Daily Star, “We are happy with the verdict but it is regrettable that they [the teachers and the student] had to suffer even though they were innocent.”

“People know that the teachers and the students of universities are absolutely innocent, which the court verdict proved,” Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, said.

He said the verdict also proved that the government filed the cases against the teachers and the students because it considered them its opponents, which was wrong.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh, said, “We want unconditional release of all teachers and students and our demand has not been fulfilled yet.”

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haque Inu said the cases filed against the teachers and students were politically motivated and they [teachers and students] were not involved with any crime.

“The verdict was desired by the whole nation and I am also happy with everyone else,” advocate Shahdeen Malik told The Daily Star commenting over the acquittal of the detained teachers and students.

“This issue showed a lengthy process of indecision by the government. It could have been fixed much earlier and more wisely,” he added.

“The government could have reached a solution through discussion with the teachers and students over the issue without any delay,” former adviser Dr Akbar Ali Khan said talking about the incident.

He also observed that in such cases, it is good to find out an immediate peaceful solution and not to let the issue linger.

“The incident which could have been minimised much earlier has been dragged to the present unrest. The students will no be pacified while three more cases in this regard are still pending with the court,” said Prof Muzaffer Ahmed, convenor of Sujan, a civil society initiative to promote good governance.

“The situation seems gloomy,” he added.

“The filing of cases against the students was done completely on suspicion and it was unexpected. The government could have dealt with the matter any way other than getting involved with the legal procedure directly,” SM Shahjahan, former adviser to a caretaker government, said.

“Immediate actions must be taken so that the issue does not spread further and the prevailing situation becomes normal,” he added.

A Dhaka court yesterday acquitted four Dhaka University teachers and 11 students in a case filed in connection with violating Emergency Power Rules (EPR) by instigating students to engage in violent protests on campus in August last year.

The court, however, convicted four absconding students to two years’ imprisonment in the same case filed with Shahbagh Police Station on August 23, 2007.

The four received presidential mercy along with 10 convicted students of Rajshahi University in the evening yesterday.