Courts record statements of complainants

Two Dhaka courts yesterday completed recording statements of the complainants of two cases filed against four Dhaka University (DU) teachers and 15 students for violating Emergency Power Rules in August this year.
The complainants are Sergeant Shawkat Ahmed of Nilkhet Police Box and Sub-Inspector (SI) Rezaul Karim of Shahbagh Police Station.
The detained teachers are Prof Sadrul Amin, president of Dhaka University Teachers' Association, Prof Anwar Hossain, general secretary of Duta, Prof Harun-ar-Rashid, dean of the Science Faculty, and Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik, chairman of the department of applied physics.
Lawyers for Prof Sadrul Amin, Prof Anwar Hossain, Prof Harun-ar-Rashid and a detained student named Moniruzzaman cross-examined Sergeant Shawkat Ahmed for an hour and Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani recorded his statement.
After recording the statement, the court fixed December 31 for next hearing of the case.
Later, the teachers and the student were brought to the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Habibur Rahman Siddiqui where the defence lawyers cross-examined the complainant Rezaul Karim. The court fixed December 31 for next hearing of the case.
Earlier on December 17 and 19, lawyers for Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik cross-examined the complainants.
The law enforcement agencies arrested the four teachers and a student in late August. Later, they along with 14 other students were implicated in two cases for allegedly violating the Emergency Power Rules.
The cases were filed on August 22 against 4000 to 5,000 unnamed people including Dhaka University teachers and students. They were accused of violating the emergency rules, vandalising public and private properties, preventing police from doing their duties, and assaulting law enforcers on the university campus and in its vicinity.
On September 9, police pressed charges against the four teachers and 15 students for instigating violence on the campus and at Shahbagh on August 22.