4 witnesses say nothing against accused teachers, students

Four prosecution witnesses in one of the cases filed for breaching Emergency Power Rules (EPR) on the Dhaka University (DU) campus in August last year did not give any statement yesterday against the accused -- four teachers and 15 students of DU.
Two of the witnesses are Shah Alam and Jahangir Alam -- tea vendors in the TSC area of the university campus while the other two are Humayun Kabir Titu and Mohammad Asaduzzaman -- both cameramen of private TV channel Ekushey Television (ETV).
In their statements, the tea vendors told the court that they saw a large crowd of people and police in the TSC area. They however could not mention any date of the incident.
The two cameramen said they were on the DU campus on August 21 last year to cover processions and police action.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani recorded their statements and defence lawyers of the four teachers and a student, now in jail custody, cross-examined them.
The four teachers, currently in jail custody, are Prof Sadrul Amin, president of Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta), Prof Anwar Hossain, general secretary of Duta, Prof Harun-ar-Rashid, dean of Science Faculty and Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik, chairman of Applied Physics Department.
DU student Moniruzzaman Sardar, who was arrested earlier, is also in jail custody now.
The four accused teachers were permitted to sit down on a wooden bench in the dock of the courtroom during yesterday's hearing.
On August 22, a case was filed against some 5,000 unnamed students and teachers of DU and outsiders for violating the EPR, vandalising public and private properties, obstructing the police from discharging their duties, and assaulting law enforcers on the campus and its adjacent areas.
However on September 9, the police pressed charges against four teachers and 15 students of DU for inciting violence on the campus and in the Shahbagh area on August 21 and 22.
Hearing of another case filed against the same accused is set to be held today.
Advocates Syed Rezaur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Khan and Mosleuddin Jasim defended the accused.
Meantime, several teachers including Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, former vice chancellor of DU, and relatives of the detained teachers were present in the courtroom during the hearing.