Students confine 30 staffers for 7 hours

Students of Rabindra University confined its registrar, teachers and officials for at least seven hours till early yesterday, demanding termination of teacher Farhana Yeasmin Baten.

The students confined around 30 staffers on Sunday evening to a room when a team went to talk to them to settle the issue.

They released the registrar, teachers and officials when some of them said that they were feeling unwell.

Terming the confinement "inhuman", Md Rawshon Alo, proctor in-charge of the university, said, "The students confined us to a room for seven to eight hours. They unlocked the door when one of the teachers fell sick around 1:30am," Rawshon said.

The students have been continuing protests, demanding removal of Farhana Yeasmin, former chairman of the department of cultural heritage and Bangladesh studies department, who was accused of forcibly cutting the hair of 14 students.

On September 26, Farhana asked the university employees to cut the hair of the students who had long hair before they entered examination halls. One of the students tried to die by suicide following the incident.

Amid student protests, the university authorities formed a five-member probe committee headed by Laila Fardous, chairman of the Rabindra Studies department, on September 28. The probe body on October 21 submitted its report against Farhana.

On October 23, a section of students started a hunger strike as no decision was made about the termination of Farhana at the

university's syndicate meeting on the previous day.

While talking to this correspondent, Md Sohrab Ali, registrar of the university, yesterday said, "The syndicate meeting has discussed about the probe report and asked to amend the law for taking action. The university authorities have already discussed the matter with the ministries of law and education."

At least 10 working days are needed for completing the legal procedure. But the students are not ready to accept this.

"We are trying to resolve the problem as soon as possible," the registrar added.