Six proctorial staff members of Begum Rokeya University resigned from their posts Saturday night following the police crackdown on students and teachers on the campus on the day.
Assistant proctors Dr Rishi Parimal, Shafique Ashraf, Asif Al Motin, Komolesh Chandra Roy, Tariqul Islam, Nazia Zaman and Azizur Rahman submitted their resignation to acting registrar Shahajahan Ali Mollah on “personal grounds.”
Shahajahan said he received the resignation letters and forwarded them to the vice chancellor (VC) Abdul Jalil Miah for further action.
This correspondent tried to reach the VC over the phone, but his phone was turned off.
Giving reasons for resigning from his post, an assistant proctor, who preferred not to be named, said: “We cannot hold these posts when police is beating up our colleagues and our VC is doing nothing.”
At least 50 students and six teachers of Begum Rokeya University were injured on Saturday when police beat them with truncheons.
The lawmen also fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesting teachers and students heading towards the vice chancellor’s house.
Under the banner of Durniti Protirodh Monch (the platform of resistance against corruption), the academics and students declared a sit-in from Saturday for an indefinite period in front of the VC’s residence. They demanded the VC’s resignation and the withdrawal of the suspension order of four teachers and two university officials.
VC Jalil had earlier suspended the six, who are said to have raised their voices against the VC’s alleged corruption.
An emergency syndicate meeting was held on Saturday evening following the police brutality on campus.
The VC presided over the meeting, which decided to suspend all academic activities till May 7, and to withdraw the suspension orders of the teachers and the university officials.
Meanwhile, the police lodged a case at Kotwali police station against Rajib, a student from the campus who was arrested with a crude bomb on Saturday.
