Robbed of a dream
He dreamt of being a university teacher one day, and worked hard towards it. He secured the highest CGPA in his honours and masters exams, and published three research papers in international journals last year.
Md Amdadul Haque was on the verge of realising his dreams when he set foot at Chittagong University -- his alma mater -- on March 27, ready to face the via voce for the recruitment of lecturers at the zoology department. Little did he know that he would be robbed of a lifelong aspiration.
Amdadul, a prime minister's gold medalist for his academic achievements, filed a case on Sunday with a Chattogram court, accusing seven activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League of criminal intimidation, kidnap, wrongful confinement, theft and attempt to murder.
Taking the case into the cognizance, the court ordered Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate and submit a report by April 30.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Amdadul said he went to the Registrar Building at around 9am on March 27. “When I was waiting to enter the lift, former Assistant Secretary of BCL CU unit Sharif Uddin, and BCL activists Anowar Hossain, Asif Mahmud Shuvo, Moksed Ali alias Nilu Pramanik, Jahidul Hasan, Rafiqul Islam and Asir Uddin kidnapped me and took me to CU Central Field area,” he said. “They demanded extortion from me.”
“As I did not comply with their demand, they beat me up. Later, they took me to CU Pagoda and beat me up again,” he said, adding that they also took away his cell phones and Tk 5,000.
“I always dreamed of becoming a university teacher. That is why I worked hard to do well in exams, and focused on research and publications to build my portfolio,” Amdadul said.
The BCL men allegedly confined him for around three hours till noon, and later handed him over to Hathazari Police Station, branding him as an Islami Chhatra Shibir activist.
Police released him in the afternoon as they did not get any proof of such allegations, but by then his viva was long over.
Amdadul lodged a written complaint to CU Vice-Chancellor Prof Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury on March 30 demanding a retake of the viva voce examination cancelling the previous one.
Amdadul said he was never involved in any kind of student politics. His friends and teachers also said they did not see any activities of Amdadul which indicated that he was involved with Shibir. Terming the incident unprecedented and embarrassing, Assistant Prof Aftab Hossain of Zoology Department said it is not acceptable at all.
Prof Manzurul Kibria -- who is renowned for Halda River Research -- said Amdadul was his research assistant. He has three publications in international journals, informed Prof Kibria adding that Amdadul was not involved in Shibir politics.
Admitting the incident, BCL leader Sharif Uddin claimed Amdadul was involved in Shibir politics. “Amdadul led the clash between Shibir and BCL in 2012. Many students and others witnessed the incident and told us about him. That's why we beat him up,” he added.
CU VC Prof Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury told journalists that it is not possible to retake the viva voce examination. “If he is qualified, he could apply for the next recruitment when we advertise for the same posts”, the VC added.
Action would be taken against the culprits as per university rules, he added.
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