Dhaka University teachers and students have become sharply divided over observance of 'black day' marking August 20-22 incident in 2007. Students claimed that the teachers are observing the day ignoring their demand as the incident took place between students and Army on August 20, which should be treated as 'black day.'

Teachers in support of the demand of students on August 21 started simultaneous movement, which was a cause of arrest of the teachers. Expressing sorrow, the victim students said that the university authority is observing the day only marking the day of arrest of a teacher on August 23.

Excepting Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), victim of August incident, some left leaning student bodies observed Saturday as black day while teachers' observed Sunday as black day. Marking the day, the teachers wore black badges in their chest and abstained from classes from 11:00am to 1:00pm yesterday. They also organised a discussion at the Teachers-Students Centre with Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique in the chair.

The discussion meeting begun amid chaos when Registrar of the university Syed Rezaur Rahman went to conduct the programme. A group of BCL activists cried out his name not to conduct the programme. Later, Proctor Prof Saiful Islam conducted the programme. Meanwhile, the teachers who White Panel left the programme in protest of students belonging to BCL misbehaviour. In the programme, Pro VC Prof Harun-Or-Rashid, Treasurer Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, Economist Prof MM Akash, Emeritus Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Prof Akhtaruzzaman and Rashed Khan Menon were discussants.

Call for identifying culprits as DU observes 'Black Day'

The Indepedent: Dhaka University (DU) yesterday observed "Black Day" with a call to identify the real culprits of the 2007 incidents and put them on trial to establish the rule of law. Protesting law enforcers' atrocities on teachers and students on August 23, 2007, the Dhaka University (DU) administration, teachers, students and officials yesterday observed "University Black Day".

Wearing black badges, they held rallies and brought out processions from Arts Building that marched through several streets on the campus. Classes remained suspended for two hours -from 11:00am to 1:00pm. DU vice-chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, pro-vc Prof Dr Harun-or-Rashid, Rashed Khan Menon, MP, former Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) president Prof Dr Sadrul Amin, former DUTA general secretary Prof Dr Anwar Hossain, Prof. Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, DUTA president Prof Bozlul Haque, poet Samad, and Rajshahi University Prof Moly Kumar Bhowmik, among others, addressed the rally.

The DU authority also held a discussion at the Teachers-Students Centre with the vice-chancellor present there. Discussants demanded reinvestigation into the cases and urged the government to ensure exemplary punishment to the criminals so that none will dare craft such a heinous plot again. The government should punish the masterminds of the plot, they also said. It may be recalled that some students had argued with army members at the DU gymnasium ground on Aug 20, 2007 over a football match and later fought pitched battles with army and police for days.

A slew of charges were pressed in connection with the violence and seven teachers and 11 students of Dhaka University and Rajshahi University were arrested in connection. They were convicted and sentenced by the court and later the military-installed caretaker government exonerated them by presidential mercy. DU teachers Anwar Hossain, Muntasir Mamun, Palash Bhowmik and Shamsul Alam recently appealed to the government to reinvestigate into the unrest.

The parliamentary committee on education ministry recently said, it would investigate into the violent clashes that took place between Dhaka University students and troops beginning on Aug 20, 2007 following the appeal. The students also welcomed the move of the parliamentary body that initiated reinvestigation into the violence. Several student organisations yesterday also staged demonstrations on DU campus to observe the second anniversary of the incidents of protests by students from August 20-23 in 2007.

Call for fresh probe into DU violence 2007

The Daily Star: Teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday observed University Black Day on the campus with demands for a fresh investigation into the August 20-22 campus unrest in 2007.

In protest at the atrocities committed on teachers and students by law enforcement agencies, DU teachers and students attended classes sporting black badges. They also held several meetings and a procession. Classes remained suspended for two hours from 11:00 am to 1:00pm for these programmes.

Teachers and students from the meetings urged the government to take necessary steps to identify the "main culprits" behind the torture of DU teachers and students during and after the unrest on August 20, 2007 on the university campus. Rejecting the investigation report on the unrest submitted by a one-member judicial probe commission, DU teachers, students and other discussants at a meeting in the Teacher-Student Centre auditorium of DU called for a fresh probe into the incident.

DU Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said, "Teachers and students were tortured as they protested atrocities carried out on them. This Black Day should be observed to avoid recurrence of such incidents." He called on the government to withdraw all cases filed against students and teachers with an executive order. Educationalist Prof Serajul Islam Chowdhury said the interference of state and reactionary forces on university is undesirable. He expressed hope that the "real culprits" behind the incident would be identified. Other teachers also expressed hope that such an incident would not be repeated again.

Speaking at a rally in front of the arts building, lawmaker and Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry Rashed Khan Menon said the committee has recommended that the home ministry withdraw cases pending against teachers and students through an executive order. He promised that all information regarding the actual culprits behind the atrocities would be made public. Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) also held a meeting at its own office in the afternoon.

Thousands of DU students staged protests after army personnel beat up a student during a football match on the DU central playground in August 2007. The then caretaker government later enforced curfews in all divisional cities to put a halt to the three-day student unrest that also spread to other cities. Four teachers and eight students were arrested and kept behind bars for around five months while thousands others were allegedly tortured on the campus and also in other places across the country. The arrested teachers and students were released in the wake of a silent and peaceful student movements in January 2008.