Rony's men finally remove party office from school

The photo on the left shows how the local Awami League had turned the classroom of Galachipa Secondary Model School in Patuakhali into a party office, allegedly with ruling party lawmaker Golam Maula Rony's influence. The photo was printed in The Daily Star on its August 20 issue and following the media attention, the party office was removed after two and a half years and the school authorities were yesterday seen, right, cleaning up the room for holding classes again. Photo: Star

A faction of Galachipa unit of Awami League, backed by lawmaker Golam Maula Rony, yesterday left a schoolroom it had been using as party office for the last three years.
They also removed a party signboard that had been hung from the tin-shed roof of the classroom at Galachipa Secondary Model School in Patuakhali.
Two and a half years back, the school authorities issued a notice to Rony's men asking them to return the room. But they did not comply.
Md Mainul Islam Rono, chairman of the school managing committee, told The Daily Star "We received the key of the room from the party men in the morning. We also prepared a list of goods found there."
"We will hand over these goods to the party men later," he said.
The Daily Star printed a photo of the classroom being used as a party office on its August 20 issue.
Soon after getting the key, the authorities started renovation work to make the room ready for holding classes.
Md Rezaul Karim, president of the pro-Rony faction, said they had returned the room on the request of the headmaster, and considering the interest of the pupils' education.
Earlier, Harun-ur-Rashid, a leader of the anti-Rony faction, filed a complaint with the Directorate General (DG) of Secondary and Higher Education office in Dhaka, saying Rony and his men forcibly occupied the classroom to carry out their illegal activities.
The DG office, after an investigation, issued a letter to the school headmaster and its managing committee chairman on February 1, 2011, asking them to make the classroom available for students.
As per the directive, Headmaster Shah Alam served a notice on Rezaul Karim and Shahidul Alam, leaders of the Rony-backed AL faction, on February 26, 2011 to remove their office from school premises.
Nasir Uddin, a former member of the school managing committee, and the headmaster told The Daily Star that they had bowed down to the pressure from Rony's men and rented the room.
An agreement to this effect was signed between the school authority and the faction before the directive from the DG office was issued, they added.