No one has ever survived by wielding unjust power over Dhaka University, and no one ever will, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam said on Sunday.
He made the remarks at a discussion at the TSC Auditorium of Dhaka University to mark “Kalo Dibosh” (Black Day).
Chairing the event, Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam said no one should be allowed to lord it over Dhaka University or cling to power through unjust force.
“No one has ever survived by wielding unjust power over Dhaka University, and no one ever will. Dhaka University is an institution that has never compromised with injustice,” he said.
Recalling the events of 2007, the vice-chancellor said the leadership of the Teachers’ Association, along with other university faculty members, played a central role in the protests at the time.
Although several of them were imprisoned, the movement at Dhaka University never stopped, he said.
He added that the lessons of 2007 must guide the university in the future. Whenever any form of injustice, repression or persecution is directed at the institution, everyone must speak out against it, he said.
The attempt to suppress Dhaka University, he said, was an attempt to stifle protests against an undemocratic government.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane said the core aim of the repression of Dhaka University’s teachers, students, officers and staff between August 20 and 23, 2007 was to suppress the university and weaken the democratic movement.
“Whenever an undemocratic government takes power in Bangladesh,” he said, “Dhaka University is always the first target.”
Professor Sadrul Amin, who was dean of the Faculty of Arts at the time and was himself imprisoned during the 2007 crackdown, said the unity among DU’s teachers, students, officers and staff during the period was unprecedented.
He recalled that on the night of August 23, Professor Harun-or-Rashid and Professor Anwar Hossain were arrested. He then surrendered to the authorities, feeling a moral obligation to do so as the president of the Teachers’ Association at the time.
He also shared memories of his long period in prison.
Professor Sadrul Amin further suggested that August 23 need not be observed solely as “Black Day” and could also be marked as a “Day of Unity and Solidarity”.
Treasurer Professor Dr M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, along with deans and faculty members from various departments, also attended the discussion.
Speakers shared recollections of the events of 2007 and the repression the university endured during that period.
What happened in 2007
On the afternoon of August 20, 2007, an altercation broke out between students and army personnel during a football match between the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism and the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University’s central playground.
When Professor Mobasser Monem of the Public Administration department intervened to protest, he was physically assaulted by army personnel.
As news of the incident spread across the campus, students launched protests and demonstrations, demanding the withdrawal of the army camp and exemplary punishment for the officers involved.
On August 21, students from across the university took to the streets to protest the abuse. Police then moved against them, turning areas including Nilkhet, TSC and Curzon Hall into battlegrounds.
More than 100 students were injured by police tear gas and rubber bullets. Amid pressure from the protests, the army eventually withdrew its camp from the university’s physical education center.
By August 22, the movement had spread to educational institutions across the country.
That evening, resident students at DU’s halls were ordered to vacate. On the night of August 23, university professors Anwar Hossain and Harun-or-Rashid were detained, blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location.
Dhaka University’s campus reopened 66 days after the incident.
Student organizations mobilized under anti-repression banners, and a movement gradually grew demanding the release of those detained. The arrested students and teachers were eventually freed.
