The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The CMM Court yesterday framed charges against four teachers and 15 students of Dhaka University for provoking and creating August 20 to 22 unrest on the campus violating the emergency rules.

The indicted teachers are Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) President Prof Sadrul Amin, General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain, Prof Harun-or-Rashid and Prof Neem Chandra Bhoumik.

All the four teachers and student Moniruzzaman Rubel in the dock pleaded innocence when Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Robbani read out the charges against them.

Fourteen students accused in the case remained fugitive since the incident. They will be tried in absentia.

The defence counsel pleaded for quashing of the case pointing out that the Government on Monday freed four teachers of Rajshahi University accused of identical charges. Therefore, the accused teachers and students of Dhaka University should be released, the defence counsel argued.

The Court rejected the petition and set December 13 for hearing.

A highly authoritative source said, the four teachers of the Dhaka University could be released through legal process if an honourable understanding is reached between the Government and the teachers' leaders.

"The teachers of Rajshahi University were released through the legal process."

Meanwhile, Our Rajshahi Correspondent reports that the released teachers of Rajshahi University yesterday joined their respective departments.

Prof Dulal Chandra Biswas, Selim Reza Newton and Abdullah-al-Mamun joined their job at Mass Communication Department of the University and Prof Moloy Kumar Voumik at Management Department.

The teachers and students distributed sweets while the students sang songs marking the day, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, left-leaning Bangladesh Students Union (Chhatra Union) yesterday formed a human chain on the Dhaka University campus, demanding immediate release of all the detained DU teachers and students including its leader Manabendra Deb.

Over 50 students carrying placards and banners joined the human chain formed in the morning.

One of banners read: "All the detained DU teachers and students have to be released immediately in the interest of a congenial atmosphere on the campus."

Four DU teachers and nine students, now in jail, were arrested following the August 20-22 student unrest in and around the campus. After several months of the unrest, law enforcers picked up DU president of Chhatra Union Manabendra Deb and indicted him in a case for damaging an army vehicle.