The students of Jahangirnagar University yesterday demonstrated on the campus demanding justice for Zubair Ahmed’s murder immediately after the ongoing judicial settlement.
The friends and batch mates of Zubair under the banner of “Amra Zubair-er Bondhura” arranged a press conference on the Shaheed Minar premises of the university around 3pm. They also urged the authorities not to allow the killers on the campus for the safety of the general students and moral standpoint as well.
The students will arrange a photography exhibition and documentary screening today in transport area. They also declared a human chain, demonstration and submission of memorandum to the authorities for tomorrow.
Jahangirnagar Sangskritik Jote, Chhatra Union, Chhatra Front, Bangla Forum and Jahangirnagar University Photographic Society expressed solidarity with the students’ movement.
The case is under trail at the Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 of Dhaka and testimonies of several witnesses have been recorded. According to the law, cases under the tribunal have to be disposed of within 135 working days.
Honours final year student Zubair of English department was stabbed and beaten up indiscriminately on January 8 last year by a section of Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists. Zubair too was a Chhatra League activist. But he had quit politics much before the incident.
Following the incident, the JU authorities filed a murder case. Later it expelled 13 Chhatra League leaders and activists from the campus – seven for life and six others for two years. All of them are made accused in the case.
Authorities ‘neglect’ elected Syndicate members
Five elected Syndicate members of the university in a statement alleged that the authorities had been neglecting them intentionally and creating administrative anarchy.
Arts and humanities faculty Dean Prof Syed Md Kamrul Ahsan, Pritilata Hall Provost Prof Lutfar Rahman, Prof Hanif Ali of computer science and engineering department, Tarikul Islam of finance and banking department and Nurul Haque of economics expressed the concerns through a statement on Wednesday night.
These teachers are part of the ongoing movement against VC Prof Anwar Hossain which began over nine months ago.
They alleged that the Syndicate members had not been informed about the recent incidents of bomb attack on the house of teachers’ association president, “illegal” sacking of provosts and threats against the agitating teachers.
They also criticised the authorities’ decision to announce that VC Prof Anwar would conduct office work from his Uttara residence. The VC is staying at his sister’s residence in Uttara after the agitating teachers had driven him away from the campus on December 16.