Teachers declare one-hour work abstention today

Rajshahi University teachers under the banner “Nationalist Teachers' Forum” yesterday declared to abstain from work for one hour today demanding that the killers of BCL activist Abdullah Al Hasan Sohel be handed down exemplary punishment.
Sohel, joint convener of BCL Sher-e-Bangla Hall unit, died nearly 12 hours after being shot during a gunfight between two Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) factions at RU early Monday.
Meanwhile, police arrested the RU unit BCL vice president, Ashrafuzzaman Sohel, studying for his masters in the zoology department, after the organising secretary, Noman Sheikh, filed a murder case against 17 BCL men, 14 of whom were named.
Some 50 teachers of the forum brought out a silent procession in front of the senate building protesting the killing and demanding a judicial investigation.
The forum acting president Shamsul Alam Sarkar criticised the “unelected” Vice-Chancellor Prof M Abdus Sobhan and demanded his immediate removal, stating that four students had been killed since the VC came to office.
The students of sociology department, where Sohel was studying in his second year, formed a human chain in front of the central library yesterday, demanding that the killers be brought to book.
Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation and Biplobi Chhatra Maitree also brought out a protest procession to press home the demands.
RU unit BCL organised a press conference at the university central cafeteria, stating that the clash ensued among some leaders over establishing supremacy on the campus, not over collection of fund for the Padma bridge.