Meanwhile, panic gripped RU teachers and students following repeated anonymous death threats made to them over telephone.

Released on interim bail on Monday, Salehi, a key suspect of Prof S Taher Ahmed murder, appeared on the campus for the first time after he went into hiding five months ago.

He entered the campus escorted by central Shibir leaders and a large number of outsiders on motorbikes. He addressed Shibir activists in a brief closed-door meeting at RU central mosque in the morning thanking them and the RU authorities.

Shibir cadres sealed off the mosque during Salehi's stay there and denied entrance to everyone including journalists and students.

Central ICS leaders including Secretary General Zahidul Islam, Office Secretary Rezaul Karim and Rajshahi City ICS President Rokanuddin, RU Secretary Nur Md Mandol and a number of district-level leaders attended the meeting.

The tensed situation forced RU authorities to call for security forces last evening when ICS announced counter programmes after Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and RU Chhatra Sangram Parishad, a combine of four students' organisations, called for protest programmes today.

THREATS & PANIC
Ibrahim Hossain, president of RU unit of BCL, and Secretary Ayenuddin in separate complaints lodged with Matihar Police Station said they received death threats over cellphone from ICS men.

"Salehi is now freed, you will come to campus only to be killed," police said quoting Ibrahim.

"We killed Taher in the dark, you will be killed in broad day light if you raise any protests against Salehi's return to campus", Ayenuddin complained to have been told by an unknown man.

Police, however, picked up a pay-phone trader at RU Bangabandhu Hall for interrogation. Ayenuddin was allegedly threatened from his phone.

Several teachers expressed their anxiety and called journalists and police officials to inform of their security concerns.

"The killings of Yunus [an economics teacher] and Taher already made me afraid. I am now thinking of leaving Rajshahi," said a senior teacher seeking anonymity.

UPSET INVESTIGATORS
"What can we do if the court releases a murder suspect?" Rajshahi Police Commissioner Muhammad Javed Patwary told The Daily Star.

Investigation officer (IO) Ahsanul Kabir blamed RU authorities for helping Salehi get his release. He said the university authorities allowed him to sit for his master's exams and served him with a character certificate.

"The RU authorities ignored police's repeated appeals for help in Salehi's arrest. If it continues, we will not be surprised at further disturbance on the campus," the IO added.

"Salehi's involvement in Taher's murder is beyond doubt proved to us through witnesses' accounts and evidence," said the IO.

When asked if Salehi took advantage of the delay in pressing charges against him by the police, Kabir said, "We will complete investigation on that soon."

The IO on June 29 issued a letter to the university registrar seeking names of people who helped Salehi collect and submit his form for his master's exams.

VC'S VERSION
Prof Altaf Hossain, RU vice-chancellor (VC), denied the police allegation. "The department concerned allowed Salehi to sit for his master's exams. There is no scope for the administration to interfere in department affairs."

DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN
"We do not have the power to allow any irregular student like Salehi, who has only attended one class in master's, to sit for the exams," said Prof Sayed Shamsuddin Ahmed, chairman of geology and mining department.

Under pressure from Jamaat-e-Islami and ICS, the administration issued orders to allow Salehi sit for his exams on June 24 following a meeting with teachers of the department at the VC's office, he informed.

PROTEST
Prof Sarwar Zahan Sajal of the department submitted a letter to the academic committee on Monday asking to be relieved of all master's examination duties.

"I don't want to administer an exam where a murder suspect sits for the exams," Sajal told reporters.

SALEHI'S RELEASE
A Division Bench of the High Court consisting Justice Ali Ashgar Khan and Justice Emdadul Huq on Monday granted anticipatory bail for three months to Salehi.

The court also issued a rule upon the government to show cause why he should not be granted a regular bail.

Seeking his bail, Salehi's defence argued that he wanted to sit for his master's exams as RU authorities certified him as a good and meritorious student. He also said, the accused in Taher muder case named Salehi as their accomplice but the police did not press charges against him.