JU teacher exonerated
The Jahangirnagar University (JU) teacher for whose dismissal students went on fast unto death programme last month was cleared of sexual harassment charges last night at a special syndicate meeting.
The agitating students, however, rejected the syndicate decision right away, starting a sit-in at the university Shaheed Minar to realise their demand.
Earlier in the evening, the syndicate meeting cleared Associate Professor Sanowar Hossain Sunny, chair at the drama and dramatics department, of the charges after reviewing a probe report in this regard.
A policeman read out the syndicate decision to the students waiting outside the administrative building, on behalf of acting Vice Chancellor Prof Moniruzzaman, who presided over the meeting.
The announcement said Prof Sanowar has been exonerated as charges against him were not proved beyond doubt.
Students immediately rejected the acquittal and began chanting slogans against the VC and the accused teacher.
They surrounded the administrative building.
The VC and syndicate members had to make their way through the angry students under the protection of police and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists.
Earlier, the authorities had deployed huge police at the administrative building prior to the start of the syndicate meeting, preventing students from approaching its vicinity.
The university students had been demanding Prof Sanowar's dismissal and measures against sexual harassment for the past five months.
On August 30, they took to fast unto death programme to press home their demand. They withdrew the programme five days later, after the VC assured them of looking into the allegations at the syndicate meeting.
Comments