Jahangirnagar University teachers on Wednesday besieged the vice-chancellor, Anwar Hossain, in his office, pressing for his resignation.
General Teachers Forum laid the siege to the vice-chancellor’s office at about 11:30 and said that the programme would continue until Anwar resigned as the vice-chancellor.Anwar, however, at a briefing at about 5:00pm said there was no reason for his resignation as the teachers’ movement was illogical.
The agitating teachers also assaulted Anwar as he entered the office amid their protests, witnesses said.
The agitating teachers did not allow the pro-vice-chancellors, registrar and officials to enter the administration building that housed the vice-chancellor’s office.
Registrar Abu Bakar Siddique said, ‘We had come to work, but failed to enter the building due to the teachers’ agitations.
The Teachers Forum president, Hanif Ali, at a press conference at about 4:30pm said that they would not stop the besieging until Anwar resigned as the vice-chancellor.
The agitating teachers chanted slogans throughout the day against Anwar.
The agitating teachers claimed that Anwar Hossain had no acceptability at the university and he could not perform since his appointment last year.
At the briefing, Anwar urged all including the government, countrymen, university family and the agitating teachers to save the university.
He said that he had already informed the chancellor, Abdul Hamid, also the president, about the stalemate at the university and sought his intervention to resolve the crisis.
Earlier, the agitating teachers had urged Anwar not to join his office as long as their programme continued.
The crisis can only be resolved through the resignation of the vice-chancellor, Teachers Forum member Jamal Uddin said.
The teachers have been staging protests since April 27, demanding resignation of the vice-chancellor, accusing him of not taking punitive measures against Bangladesh Chhatra League university unit general secretary Razib Ahmed Rasel for assaulting economics department lecturer Nurul Haqu, also a syndicate member, on April 6.
Earlier, the Jahangirnagar University Teachers Association had suspended the agitations on July 30 following a High Court directive to maintain a status quo at the university.
Later, changing the strategy, the protests began under the banner of General Teachers Forum.
-With New Age input
