The New Nation - Internet Edition

DU Correspondent

The academic atmosphere of Dhaka University is deteriorating gradually as the release issue of the detained teachers and students who are in the prison for almost five months remained unresolved.

Students are observing different programmes including silent procession, human chain, class boycott and sit in everyday since January 8 reopening of the university and pledged to continue the protest programme until the detainees were released.

Putting black cloth in the face, students under the banner of 'students against repression’ took out a silent procession from the Aparajeyo Bangla to Curzon Hall after parading campus on 11:00am.

After the programme, another organisation in the name of “chhatra bandhu’ held same programme from Doyel chattar area demanding the release of the detainees.

Meanwhile, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of BNP, met the Vice Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz to press home for withdrawing the cases that was filed against the teachers and the students and to release them soon.

JCD cautioned the VC that the university’s environment would become unstable within a short time if the incarcerated teachers and the students were freed immediately.

Stressing on release of the students, JCD DU Unit senior vice president Mamunur Rahman said the release process of the detained teachers of Rajshahi University should not be applied in the case of DU detainees.

Prof SMA Faiz hoped the detainees would be freed soon as he was continuing negotiation with the government. He will meet Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed today.

Meanwhile, the VC met the President Prof Iajuddin and the Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed several times in this regard.

Admitting the academic loss, he said they would try to make up the losses happened due to unscheduled closure for about three-month.

The four teachers of the university were arrested on charge of fuelling the student unrest on August 20-22.

Later the eight students out of the 15 charge-sheeted ones were arrested.

The Dhaka University Teachers` Association (DUTA) tried to free their colleagues through the university authority at first.

Being failed, the Association placed different programmes that divided the teachers into two groups known as White Panel belonging to the BNP-Jamaat and Blue panel belonging to the Awami League-left leaning organisations.

One group wanted to free the detainees by agitation and another group wanted by legal process.