Court frames charges against 4 DU teachers

Dhaka, Dec 11 (bdprem.com) – A Dhaka court Tuesday framed charges against four senior teachers and 15 students of Dhaka University for breaching emergency powers rules during the August campus unrest. The move came a day after four Rajshahi University teachers convicted for similar charges were freed from prison after a presidential pardon. Judge Md Golam Rabbani of the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka-3 framed the charges at 12:50pm and set Dec 17 for recording statements of the witnesses. Wednesday was set for hearing into another case relating to the same incident in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate Habibur Rahman Siddiqui. The prosecution read out the charge to Dhaka University Teachers Association president Professor Sadrul Amin, general secretary Professor Anwar Hossain, social sciences faculty dean Professor Harun-or-Rashid and applied physics and electronics department chairman professor Nimchandra Bhowmi and a student. The four pleaded not guilty of the charges that say they breached the emergency powers rules by making inflammatory speeches against the government and burning effigies. They accused sought justice from the court. they rest of the accused are fleeing from justice. Lawyers sought acquittal of the four teachers in separate appeals to the trial court when they were taken to court. In an appeal, the lawyer for Sadrul Amin said: "The teachers just wanted to protect their children (students) that day. There was no political motive." The lawyers told the court that the special investigation committee headed by justice Habibur Rahman to probe what all during August 20-22 also recommended that the detained teachers should be released. The lawyers for the accused also claimed that the case had not even primary potential for any serious charge-framing. They submitted copies of relevant higher court verdicts which said separate cases cannot be filed in connection with the same incident occurring at the same spot. They pointed out at the anomaly that more than one cases had been filed against the 19 accused in connection with the late August unrest at the university. The lawyers argued that it was the teachers who stayed with their students at the DU residential halls and hence the teachers were the students friends and guides. During August 20-22, the teachers had gone out with the demonstrating students only to save them from any troubles, not to attack or offend anyone, they told the court. The counsels also mentioned various irregularities committed by the investigation officer during inquiry of the case. Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukdar, one of the lawyers, said, "An witness's testimony given in another case filed over the same issue has been added to in this case, which is unacceptable to a court of law." The fresh move on the DU teachers came a day after four Rajshahi University teachers jailed for inciting campus unrest were released from prison Monday, giving rise to speculations that the government has initiated a process to eventually granting the accused freedom. President Iajuddin Ahmed pardoned the four serving jail terms after their wives filed petitions for freedom.