RU teachers express solidarity with protesting students

Teachers of Rajshahi University (RU) Tuesday expressed their solidarity with all the demands of students centering the quota reform movement.

Nearly 200 under the banner of ‘Teachers Against Oppression’ organised a rally and brought out a procession expressing solidarity on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the main gate of the university.

The teachers, gagging over their mouths with red cloth, brought out the procession around 11:45 am and paraded through various roads on the campus before joining the rally.

A large number of law enforcement agency members were deployed at the main gate that was locked. Though the teachers requested the law enforcers to open the gate, they did not do that. Later, the university’s security guards unlocked the gate and the teachers joined the rally.

Physics department professor Saleh Hasan Nakib, professor Raihana Shams Islam, molecular chemistry department professor Rezaul Karim, zoology department professor Saiful Islam Faruqui, veterinary and animal science department professor Ismat Ara, economics department professor Farid Uddin, Arabic studies department professor Iftikharul Alam Masud and marketing department professor Faridul Islam and others.

Addressing the rally, Saleh Hasan Nakib said, “We are expressing our complete solidarity with the 9-point demands of the students. Their demands are lawful and in favour of justice. It is the duty of the teachers’ community to stay by their side.”

He further said, “Hundreds of lives have been lost and we are standing in a pool of blood. These lives include people of all ages beginning from a six-year-old child… Teachers are joining the rally … This is an unforeseen incident in the history of Rajshahi University.”

Addressing the students, professor Farid Uddin Khan of economics department said, “You are fighting on the roads, you are not the heart of Bangladesh, rather, you are Bangladesh. The bullets that have pierced you, have been actually shot in the chest of Bangladesh. No superpower fired those bullets, it was opened by a so-called democratic force of this country. Prime minister, you are also the mother of two children. How did your government open firing on unarmed children, students and people in broad daylight? How do you sleep at night? I feel astounded. The people do not have voting rights today. Bullets are being fired whenever a person asks for rights. Many are being picked up at night. A country cannot run in this way.”

Veterinary and animal science department professor Ismat Ara broke into tears while addressing the rally. She said, “Why did our children sacrifice their lives today? Was their demand too unlawful? Couldn’t the prime minister meet the demands? What’s her problem? She also has children. I’m also a mother of two children. I can’t speak today as a mother, I’m just thinking about those mothers, whose children have sacrificed their lives and announced we would realise our lawful demands.”

Marketing department’s Faridul Islam compared the situation in Bangladesh with that of Gaza, Rafah and West Bank in Palestine.

He further said, “The government is saying that all the demands of the students have been met. But actually we are watching the doors being knocked at 2:00 am to know if there are students. You are picking up people at the DB office, staging a drama and serving them food. People don’t want to see such deceitfulness.”

He said the students have shown which way Bangladesh would move forward.

Professor Faridul Islam further said, “Our teachers had a meeting over pensions yesterday. As a teacher, I’m ashamed. The teachers should not have been sitting over pensions in this situation. There is time. (They are) bound to meet the demand of pension. None will say now, let them wage the movement, they will return when they become tired. None have the courage to say this.”