Cases against victims yet to be dropped
Even after one year into the February 2 violence at Rajshahi University, the cases against some agitating students are yet to be withdrawn, prompting them to call for a rally on the campus today to press home their three-point demand.
Their two other demands are fresh investigation into the incident and cancellation of the ongoing evening master's courses at the faculties of law, business and social science.
They placed the demands at a press conference under the banner of “Teachers-students against hiked fees and commercial evening courses” at RU yesterday.
On February 2, 2014, over 100 students and eight journalists were injured when some armed Bangladesh Chhatra League activists backed by police attacked them while the students were demonstrating against a fee hike and the evening master's courses on the campus.
The following day, the university authorities, police and BCL filed six cases with Motihar police accusing more than 750 general students.
At the press conference, Jarif Muhib Ayan, a student of English department, said the authorities were yet to withdraw the suits despite repeated assurance from them.
“The authorities are using the cases as a weapon to gag the students,” he alleged. “Whenever we wanted to hold any programme on the campus, they threatened us with arrest.”
The protesters urged the students of all institutions across the country to observe “Commercial Evening Course Prevention Day” on February 2 every year.
Contacted, Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin said they were not harassing the students. They had already held a meeting to withdraw the cases as soon as possible, he added.
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