Judicial probe body wants code of conduct for DU teachers, students

The Judicial Enquiry Commission that investigated the violent incidents on and around Dhaka University (DU) campus in August last year has asked the government to formulate a code of conduct for the DU teachers, students and officials.
“Behaviour of teachers, students, officers and employees of the university will have to be specified by formulating a code of conduct. And they will have to be apprised of it and compelled to follow it. Otherwise, administrative and disciplinary actions will have to be taken against an individual [in case of violation of the code of conduct],” the commission said in its report.
The report, made public on March 23, also suggested that orientation classes for newly appointed teachers and freshers should be arranged to teach them the code of conduct to ensure a congenial academic atmosphere on the campus.
Chief of the judicial commission Justice Habibur Rahman Khan placed the report to Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed on November 15 last year with a 28-point recommendation that include a ban on slavish teachers and student politics by amending the Dhaka University Order 1973 and repealing the political parties regulations 1976, if necessary.
Section 56 (2) of the Dhaka University Order 1973 allows teachers to 'keep association' with any lawful organisation outside the university.
“The service condition shall be determined without any prejudice to the freedom of the teacher or officer to hold any political party views and to keep association with any lawful organisation outside the university and shall be clearly stated in the contract,” it says.
Referring to this, the judicial commission says, “It means there is no bar on teachers from becoming members of any political party.” This order allows excessive democratisation resulting in groupings among the teachers but there is no provision in it to ensure accountability of teachers, the commission notes.
“This section should be amended, if necessary, so that teachers cannot be grouped as white, blue and pink panels with the blessing of political parties. Restrictions should be imposed on teachers without curtailing the rights to express political opinion, so that they cannot engage themselves as member of a political party and propagate any ideology being influenced,” the probe report said.
According to the commission's recommendations, teachers' organisations will have to be free from political parties' influence, and will work for resolving internal problems, for welfare of the teachers and good relations among the teachers and students.
Similarly, students politics will have to be de-linked from political parties, and the parties must not control them. Elections to students bodies like the DUCSU (Dhaka University Central Students Union) and hall unions should be held regularly, it recommended.
The commission identified dysfunctional student unions as one of the major reasons for the untoward incidents. There is a lack of accountable and non-political student leadership in the absence of representative central and hall unions, it said.
On elections to these bodies, the commission said, “No panel formed by student front of a political party can contest the elections to these organisations. Atmosphere conducive for creating brilliant and efficient student leadership should be created through the elections.”
The commission's recommendations also include recasting the university's own security system and formation of a conciliation body on the model of traditional 'shalish bodies' for resolving petty disputes in the university.
FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION
The judicial commission, formed on August 25 last year following violence on and around the DU and other university campuses on August 20-22 last year, identified 24 major reasons for the incidents.
It found that the three day students protest was initially spontaneous but later 'a vested quarter and some politicians” instigated it.
Unruly behaviour of some army personnel and of a student, who was at the centre of the incident at the university playground, triggered the violent incidents, the commission said.
It criticised Dhaka University Teachers' Association for supporting the students protest, which it said was not based on any ideology.
“Teachers made provocative speeches to put the students and army and law enforcement agencies face to face to tarnish the image of the army,” it observed.
The probe report said a vested quarter took the opportunities to destabilise the caretaker government with the aim of spreading the agitation across the country. It should be mentioned here that some teachers of 'blue panel' wore black badges and brought out procession after Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was arrested. On the other hand, teachers under the 'white panel' engaged in the agitation apprehending that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia might be detained.
The commission blamed the DU authorities for what it said not handling the situation properly. “Poor administration of Dhaka University and lack of cooperating attitude of officials engaged in the administrative activities triggered this incident, and such incidents also prevailed in the past,” the report said.
DAMAGE ON RU CAMPUS
The acting registrar of Rajshahi University (RU), in a letter to the commission on September 2 last year, said the violent protests on the RU campus caused damage of properties worth of Tk 46 lakh.
Supporting the DU teachers and students' protests, RU teachers and students also went for protests and reportedly damaged properties of the university.
In his letter, the RU acting registrar gave a detailed list of the damaged properties with their estimated worth.
The commission report however did not contain any estimate of the worth of properties damaged during the DU violence.
USE OF BULLETS
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Naim Ahmed, in a report to the judicial commission, said police fired 2, 526 rounds of teargas shells, 1,886 rounds of bullets of shot guns and four rounds of bullets of Chinese rifles to protect public lives and properties and to control the situation.
The report gave details of properties damaged by the protestors during the campus unrest.