Prof Shamima Sultana, the chairperson of Jahangirnagar University's (JU) Bangla Department, has removed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's picture from her office, citing the PM’s alleged responsibility for the killing, attacking, torturing, and detaining of students during the quota reform movement.
She is the Vice-President of Jahangirnagar University pro-BNP teachers’ organization “Jatiyatabadi Teachers Forum”.
The teacher confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday evening that the photo was removed from her office on Thursday.
Earlier, a picture of Professor Shamima Sultana sitting in the office room went viral on social media since noon.
JU teachers, students hold protest procession singing songs
In the picture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's portrait is prominently displayed on the wall behind Shamima Sultana, while there is no portrait of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Professor Shamima Sultana said: “I think her (Sheikh Hasina) image has been erased from people's hearts. She brutally tortured the students around the quota movement and lied again and again. She ordered the attack on the students. She has the blood of many students on her hands. Students are like my children. I don't want to have her picture on my wall whose hands are stained with the blood of my child. So I removed his picture from the wall.”
On March 27, 2002, in a circular of the Cabinet division, it was ordered to hang portraits of the prime minister as the head of government in the office rooms of the ministers, various ministries, directorates, embassies of Bangladesh abroad, and the office rooms of all government and autonomous institutions.
Meanwhile, the university authorities and other teachers consider the removal of the prime minister's photo from Shamima Sultana's office room as a violation of the law.
They said that such action by a professional person is a violation of professionalism.
In this regard, Professor Motahar Hossain, president of the JU Teachers' Association, said: "The humiliation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is unacceptable. Bangladesh has a law in this regard. Photos of Bangabandhu and the prime minister should be hung in any government office. As long as she is the prime minister, it is not legal to remove this picture."
He said: "Harassment or illegal detention of students is not supported by the laws of our country, there is a law that no one can break."
Abu Hasan, registrar of JU, said: "This is a violation of the law. Anyone who does is in violation of the law. It is not known whether the VC sir is aware of the matter. I also haven't looked at social media, so don't know about it. It is a crime. The matter will be investigated."
