Students blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Tuesday and protested to demand the resignation of acting principal Nazma Nasreen of Nasiruddin School and College located in Salna of Gazipur city.
Traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway was stopped for about two hours for the protest, resulting in traffic jam on the five-kilometre road.
A student of the school, Shanta, said: “We will protest until the acting principal Nazma Nasreen resigns. She treats us very badly. If a student's tuition fee is due for a month, she throws them out of the class. She does not resolve any complaints. She also behaves badly with the parents."
“While protesting against this, two senior students of the college section were beaten inside the school on Tuesday morning. In protest, around 10am, the students of our school and college branch took position on the nearby Dhaka-Mymensingh highway,” she added.
Some students of the school alleged that the acting principal took various unethical privileges from the previous committee and illegally increased the tuition fees of the college by two to three times. Besides, she embezzled that money by selling old paper worth Tk70,000.
In spite of the ban, Nazma Nasreen selected the guide books (lecture guides) and took Tk3 lakh, which has not yet been deposited in the school fund.
On February 6, the students protested and blocked the highway for the same reasons.
Dhaka TribuneOfficer-in-Charge (OC) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Sadar police station Ziaul Islam said that the principal was taken from the college to the police station during the agitation for her safety. The matter will be discussed with the district commissioner of Gazipur/ his representatives, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), police officials and the next decision will be taken.
Students had positioned at the police station premises till 3:45pm. Earlier, they went to the district commissioner's office premises, he added.
Police Assistant Commissioner (Media) Asaduzzaman confirmed the incident, adding: “The city, highway and traffic police went and explained the students and removed them from the highway at around 12:15pm after which traffic started again on the highway.”
In this situation, acting principal Nazma Nasreen denied all the allegations, adding: “Recently, the college committee has been formed through election. It is awaiting approval from the board. In this situation, the people who lost the election are conspiring with that committee. As a result, they are provoking college students and bringing them down the highway.”
Recently, the education department formed an ad hoc committee when a writ was filed in the High Court in this regard.
UNO Syed Morad Ali of Gazipur Sadar, president of the ad hoc committee, told journalists that a committee had been formed to investigate the matter. The committee will look into the complaints made by the students against the principal. Until then the principal will not go to the college.
The UNO also said that there is a dispute about the formation of the committee in the institution. Since the dispute has been going on for a long while, its impact had also fallen upon the acting principal.