56 teachers of Tangail Bhashani university resign posts to protest BCL assault

As many as 56 teachers of the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University in Tangail have resigned from different academic and administrative posts in protest against alleged assault on their colleagues by Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders.

The teachers tendered the resignation letters to Registrar Md Touhidul Islam on Monday afternoon, Mir Mozammel Haque, a vice-president of the MBSTU Teachers’ Association, told bdnews24.com.

The teachers who resigned their posts include two members of the regent board, four deans, four provosts, 14 departmental heads, all the house tutors and assistant proctors.

The teachers’ association has demanded punishment of BCL’s Mawlana Bhashani university unit President Sajeeb Talukder, vice-presidents Imran Mia and Adrita Panna, and Joint General Secretary Jabir Iqbal over the assault which allegedly took place on Sunday.

Mozammel said physics department student Ishita Biswas was stopped from taking an exam on Sunday after she failed a previous test. The results were published on Saturday.

Sajeeb and his associates used swear words and attempted to beat up the department’s Chairman Md Moniruzzaman, Associate Prof Md Anwar Hossain and Lecturer Md Mohiuddin Tasnim when the teachers protested after the BCL leaders forcefully put Ishita in the exam centre, according to the teachers’ leader.

The BCL leaders then stood guard and forced the teachers to let Ishita complete the test, Mozammel alleged.

The teachers’ association held a meeting later on Sunday afternoon and demanded punishment of the four BCL leaders in two applications to Vice-Chancellor Md Alauddin.

The VC sat in a meeting with the BCL leaders and teachers in the evening.

The leaders of the ruling Awami League’s student wing left the meeting at one stage and drove out the students from their halls to join protests for changing rules of classes and exams, Mozammel said.

The BCL protests continued until 3am on Monday, according to the teachers’ leader.

Later on Monday, the university decided to suspend some students over the assault on teachers at a regent board meeting, VC Alauddin said.

He did not disclose how many of the students were suspended and their names.