Ashik Hossain
bdnews24.com correspondent

Dhaka, Jan 13 (bdnews24.com)—Students and teachers of Jahanagirnagar University are pointing the finger at the vice-chancellor for his patronisation of a Bangladesh Chhatra League faction, alleging that it has led to the recent murder of a student.

Professor Sharif Enamul Kabir has, however, denied all the allegations against him and told reporters that his administration would take no responsibility for the actions of Chhatra League, the ruling party’s student wing.

In his first reaction to the murder, though, Kabir had told reporters ‘there were no Chhatra League activists involved in the incident’.

On the evening of Jan 8, Zubair Ahmed, a student of the Department of English, was critically wounded following beating and stabbing by a BCL faction on the campus in Savar. He died the following day at a private hospital in Dhaka from profuse bleeding.

Teachers and students alike are demonstrating questioning the role of the authorities in the incident. Students are boycotting classes to force the administration to accede to a four-point charter of demand, including trying Zubair’s killers as per law, and resignation of the proctor and security officer. Many teachers of the university have thrown their weight behind the protesting students.

Kabir’s administration rusticated three students two days after the incident, finding them guilty of involvement in Zubair’s death. The police arrested one of them.

On Thursday, proctor Arju Mia assaulted the teachers’ association president M A Mamun.

Friends say as soon as Zubair had arrived on campus to attend his last exam as an honours student, he was dragged away and mercilessly tortured by members of an opposing faction of BCL known as the ‘VC group’. Later, the attackers themselves dumped him at the nearby Enam Medical College Hospital.

Drama and dramatics professor Harun-ar-Rashid told bdnews24.com: “The administration has no answer as to how the wounded Zubair was taken out to a hospital despite there being so many security officers and guards.

“It’s natural to ask why they played a silent role,” he said.

Philosophy professor Raihan Rhyne said the three students were not expelled at the syndicate’s decision, which makes the punishment weak.

“Moreover, everyone knows that there were at least 15 attackers. The administration has punished those three to save the masterminds,” he added.

President of the suspended BCL university unit committee Rashedul Islam Shafin said the faction that the vice-chancellor was ‘patronising’ were all former members of the BNP’s student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

Zubair was among the political colleagues of Shafin who have been unable to enter the campus since their committee was suspended.

On Jan 8, he had gone to the campus to attend the exam that could have ended his student life and help him move on.

“On May 23, 2010, vice-president Rashed Reza Diken and seven others were attacked, but the administration prevented police from taking cases,” Shafin alleged.

A case was later filed with the court and arrest warrants issued for alleged assailants.

“But the vice-chancellor is sheltering them on the campus and lobbying for their bail,” he said.

Since VC Kabir was appointed in February 2009, some 150 teachers have been appointed. Allegations are there that many have been appointed for their political background.

“Qualification was of no merit in appointing these teachers,” government and politics professor Nasim Akhter Hossain told bdnews24.com.

Economics professor Anu Mohammad said the teachers that Kabir appointed had had questions raised about their qualifications.

Though it has been nearly three years since Kabir’s appointment, it has not been validated by an election as per University Act 1973, which mandates a four-yearly vice-chancellor election.

“The law is being violated so that the government can retain its control over the universities,” Anu Mohammad said. “I think he will not hold an election until he is certain he will win.”

Professor Akhter Hossain said the vice-chancellor was in turn being patronised by an adviser to the prime minister.

“When there is no election, these syndicates become powerful. An unelected vice-chancellor has no liability towards student and teachers. He acts like an autocrat,” he added.

When prime minister’s education adviser Alauddin Ahmed was vice-chancellor at the university, present VC Kabir was the treasurer.

Kabir has denied all allegations against him.

“None of these allegations against me are true. I am also grief-stricken at the death of Zubair,” he told bdnews24.com.

Kabir, who hails from Gopalganj, the prime minister’s hometown, also denied any patronisation of a BCL faction. “Whoever the assailants are according to the probe report, they will be punished,” he said.

bdnews24.com/aha/sh/bd/2058h