Students on indefinite hunger strike demanding termination of accused teacher

Protesting students of Rabindra University Bangladesh went into an indefinite hunger strike from Friday night as the syndicate committee didn’t permanently suspend the teacher who forcefully cut the hair of 14 students, reports UNB.

Nazmul Hasan Papon, spokesperson for the students told journalists on Saturday that the probe committee had submitted the report to Registrar Sohrab Ali on Thursday evening without the disposition of accused teacher of the Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh Studies department, Farhana Yasmin Baten.

Followed by this, the syndicate committee held a meeting at the residence building office of the university on Friday afternoon, he said.

However it was adjourned without any decision on the incident, he said.

“When we contacted the treasurer and incumbent vice chancellor Abdul Latif, he said a decision will be taken in this regard at the next syndicate meeting. But he couldn’t give an exact date for the meeting,” said Najmul Hossain.

This has forced the students to take position for an indefinite hunger strike at the RUB campus on Friday night and they decided to continue the protest until professor Baten got terminated, he said.

Meanwhile, treasurer Abdul Latif said the meeting was adjourned without a decision as the committee didn’t receive all the information.

“A decision will be made following the legal procedures in the next syndicate meeting,” he said.

On 26 September, Farhana instructed an office assistant to trim the hair of 14 first-year students as they were entering examination halls, apparently for ignoring her previous instructions to get haircuts.

Unable to bear the humiliation, Nazmul Hasan Tuhin, 25, a student of the department, consumed sleeping pills the following day in an attempt to take his own life.

Although she submitted her resignation as department chair, assistant proctor, and member of the proctorial board, Farhana has continued to deny the allegations and claimed the charges against her were all fabricated, as she rejected the request of a few students to defer the exam.

On 30 September, the RUB students staged protests demanding the termination of the teacher.

The following day, the High Court asked the RUB VC and registrar to take steps against those involved in the incident and to file a report within a month.

Later in the day, the RUB authorities suspended Farhana from her teaching position as well.

On 2 October, following assurance by education minister Dipu Moni of launching a probe into the incident, students eased their protest and unlocked the administrative building of the university.

RUB authorities formed a five-member committee led by professor Layla Ferdous Himel to probe the incident.