RU teachers thwart arrest of students on campus

Plainclothes police trying to haul up a student on the Rajshahi Univeristy campus on Thursday. UNB

Rajshahi University, Aug 1 – Members of the Rajshahi University Teachers Network, along with students from various institutions in Rajshahi, participated in a silent march today to protest the killing of students nationwide. Participants wore red clothing as a symbol of their demonstration.

At around 11 AM, following the march at Shaheed Buddhijibi Chattar on the university campus, law enforcers in plain clothes attempted to arrest several students. However, the arrests were interrupted by the university teachers who intervened to prevent the detentions.

A confrontation ensued between the law enforcement officers and the students and teachers. Students, who were protesting peacefully, alleged that they were subjected to unprovoked aggression by the plainclothes officers. Labanya, a student from Barindra Medical College, expressed her frustration, saying, "We participated in the peaceful march with the teachers. Law enforcers in civil dress hit us and tried to forcibly take us without any reason. If we are not accused of any crime, why is this happening? We came to protest peacefully."

Professor Abdullah Al Mamun from the Mass Communication and Journalism department of Rajshahi University condemned the actions of the law enforcers, stating that there was no legal warrant for the arrests and that detaining individuals based on suspicion alone is unjust. He warned that if students or teachers were harmed, it would not be acceptable and emphasized that police should not detain students without proper cause.

University Proctor Professor Ashabul Haque addressed the situation, stating that they had requested the police to remain outside the campus. The campus is currently closed, and students are at home. He assured that the university administration is committed to preventing any harassment of students and that they had assisted students in reaching Kazla Gate safely following the incident. - UNB