Bail Prayer of 54 RU Students
Shifting of hearing date sparks instant protests
Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court yesterday shifted the date for hearing of bail prayer of 54 students arrested during the clashes on Rajshahi University (RU) campus on October 30, sparking instant protests by the students' organisations.The court fixed the next hearing date on November 6. In protest, several student organisations held a rally in court areas and threatened to launch a tough movement, including indefinite strike, if the students are not released on the next hearing date. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Yusuf Ali shifted the date on grounds that more hearings are needed as tension has been prevailing on the campus. Earlier, a number of lawyers, including Golam Arif Tipu, Fazle Hossain Badsha and Mehdi Hasan, made submission for the students. However, the 54 students were not produced before the court. The October 30 violence on the RU campus left some 200 people, including students, teachers, journalists and policemen, injured. Leaders and workers of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (SCF), Chhatra Union and Chhatra Federation jointly took out a protest procession and held a rally on the Shaheed Minar premises in the court areas after the hearing date was shifted. BCL central Joint Secretary Quamruzzaman Chanchal, SCF central member Hamidul Islam, RU Chhatra Union President SM Chandan and Chhatra Federation leader Murad Morshed spoke at the rally. Students of mass communication department also formed a human chain at Zero point at 11.00am. They announced that students would boycott classes after the Eid vacation to protest the attacks on their department during the violence. Five teachers, including the department Chairman Prof Dulal Chandra Biswas, and nearly one hundred students of the department were injured as police clubbed them after storming their department by breaking open the doors, agitating students said. A number of teachers and students organisations also rejected the seven-member committee the syndicate formed to probe the campus incident. Progressive teachers' association and the agitating student organisations in separate statements said the probe committee is comprised of pro-Jamaat teachers and two of them were involved in Saturday's attacks. RU Teachers' Association demonstrated on the Senate Bhaban premises demanding formation of neutral investigation committee and punishment to those responsible for the attacks.
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