The New Nation - Internet Edition

RU Correspondent

The acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Mamnunul Keramat, of Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday said a probe committee would be constituted soon to investigate into the assault on him and some teachers by activists of Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS) on Friday and take action against the guilty.

Earlier on Friday, a number of Shibir cadres assaulted RU acting VC and other teachers as they tried to persuade the agitating Shibir cadres to lift the roadblocks they put up on Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway in front of the university campus.

On the day, several hundred stick-wielding Shibir men led by RU unit president Delwar Hossain Saidee and general secretary Abdullah al-Nomani, chased the teachers, threw stones and hurled abuses at the proctor alleging that the University administration failed to ensure their security on the campus.

Prof Keramat said on Friday that he along with several university teachers went to the troubled spot and requested the Shibir activists to lift the barricade from in front of the university main gate.

'I found hundreds of unruly students led by Shibir activists staging demonstration on the highway demanding their security', he noted.

The Shibir members turned violent as the university proctor, police administration, local businessmen and BRTC staff failed to resolve the incident in which two Shibir activists were beaten up at Binodpur Bazar on Thursday night.

He termed the incident regrettable and said that the allegation of the Shibir cadres on the alleged lack of security of the students on the campus was baseless as the university authorities took the highest security measure for the safety of the general students on the campus.

He further said, "Shibir RU unit president Delwar Hossain Saidee and organising secretary Abdur Razzak met me at my office on Friday and sought my opinion on the incident. I told them that I have no opinion about the incident."

Prof Keramat confirmed that the Shibir activists led the demonstration on Friday and manhandled some of the university teachers.

Meanwhile, the RU teachers, officials and student organisations strongly protested and condemned the assault on the acting RU VC and some teachers of the university by some members of ICS. They demanded immediate arrest of the cadres responsible for the assault and punishment to them.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in a statement protested the incident and urged the general students to resist Shibir activists in all educational institutions.