Fear grips RU teachers over life threat

Fear has gripped teachers of Rajshahi University.

They are frequently getting phone calls with threats to pay up or lose their lives.

As a result, many have restricted their movements and curtailed professional activities.

Some are even taking escorts to venture out of home.

The university authorities have expressed concern over the situation.

“This kind of extortion demands and life threats to teachers is a matter of concern,” said Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan.

Sense of insecurity and fear has spread among liberal-minded teachers after sociology department’s Prof Shafiul Islam was hacked to death in broad daylight last year.

Many of the teachers claim that the extortion demands and the life threats have “mentally shattered” them.

They said different outfits including one ‘Lal Bahini’ and banned ‘Purba Bangla Communist Party’ are asking for money.

According to university authorities and police, at least 10 teachers, known to be secular and progressive,  have been receiving the death threats in the past one and a half months.

Zoology’s professor and Teachers Association President Ananda Kumar Saha received the first known threat from a member of ‘Lal Bahini’ in the beginning of February.

The same outfit threatened international relations teacher Prof Md Abul Kashem on Mar 10 and philosophy department’s Prof Anisuzzaman Manik on Mar 16.

In the latest incidents, geology and mining department professor Kamrul Hasan Majumder and zoology department teacher Bidhan Chandra Das received life threats on Mar 21.

Prof Das told bdnews24.com: “I am worried after the threat. It has impacted my research. Now I have to move very carefully.”

Prof Saha believed militants were responsible for the threats.

“A militant group is continuously issuing threats to keep progressive teachers under mental stress,” he said.

University Proctor Prof Tariqul Hasan said police had been asked to identify those responsible for the threats.

“District administration and police have been informed of the threats and asked to take necessary measures,” he said.

Motihar Police Station OC Abdur Rouf said four Rajshahi University teachers including Profs Manik, Majumder and Saha had filed general diary with police seeking their security.

He said police were looking into the complaints seriously.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Iftekhayer Alam told bdnews24.com they had already identified one of those responsible for the threats.

“Philosophy department teacher Anisuzzaman got a phone from Mohammadpur in Dhaka on Mar 16. Efforts are on to bring those responsible (for the threats) to book by identifying the numbers from which the teachers were called,” he said.

Prof Shafiul Islam was hacked to death on Nov 15 last year at teachers’ residential area Bihas Palli near the campus.

On Feb 1, 2006, geology and mining department professor S Taher was killed in his residence on the campus. His body was dumped in a manhole near the house.

A court had awarded death penalty to four people including Taher’s colleague in the same department Mia Md Mohiuddin, his residence’s caretaker Jahangir Alam and two others over the murder.

The High Court upheld the punishment for Mohiuddin and Alam but revised capital punishment to life term in prison for the two others.

Earlier in 2004, economics department professor Md Yunus Ali was killed in Binodpur village adjacent to the campus.

Two militants were awarded death penalty for the murder.