Court acquits Dhaka Univ teachers, students

Dhaka, Jan 21 (UNI) A court here today acquitted four Dhaka University teachers and 11 students of the charges of violating Emergency Power Rules (EPR) by instigating students to engage in violent protests on the campus in August last year.

The court, however, convicted four absconding students and sentenced them to two years' imprisonment in the same case.

However, the detained teachers and students will not be released since several other cases are pending before a Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court. The court will give verdict in another case against them tomorrow.

The four acquitted teachers are Dhaka University Teachers' Association President Prof Sadrul Amin, General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain, Social Sciences Faculty Dean Prof Harun-or-Rashid and Applied Physics and Electronics department chairman Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmick.

Education Adviser (minister) of caretaker government Dr Hosain Zillur told mediapersons that President Iajuddin Ahmed will condone the convicted students while legal processes are on to release the detained teachers.

On August 20 last year, a violent student protest broke out on the university campus following a brawl between an army man and a student during a soccer match at the playground.

The protest later spread to other educational institutions in the city and elsewhere across the country and continued for a few days, resulting in imposition of curfew and shutting down of all educational institutions in major cities.

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