Rajshahi, Dec 1 – ‘If the university proctor cannot provide safety of the students on campus, he must resign from his post’.Rajshahi University Press Club (RUPC) president Rabiul Islam Tushar made this comment while addressing a human chain protesting BCL attack on Journalist.
Journalists of Rajshahi University on Sunday demanded immediate expulsion of a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader of Rajshahi University unit who beat up a journalist at the university campus on Saturday.
They also urged to the university authority to ensure a secured campus for the students.
They made the demands while addressing a human chain at in front of the university’s central library in the afternoon under the banner ‘Journalists working at Rajshahi University’. RU mass communication and journalism department students and progressive student alliance, a platform of four left-leaning student organisations, also expressed solidarity with the demands.
On Saturday noon, BCL men beat up seven students while they were demonstrating in front of university Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium demanding cancellation of the six-day commercial screening of Jaaz Multimedia’s film ‘Dohon.’
BCL RU unit organising secretary Sabrun Jamil Susmoy kicked Ali Younus Hridoy, final year student of mass communication and journalism department, and also RU correspondent of daily Kholakagoj, on his waist while he along with other journalists went to cover the information.
Addressing the human chain, RU Journalist Association president Salekin Ahmed said that the ruling party student body leaders and activists beat up three journalists on campus in last three years, but surprisingly the university did not take any effective step against the perpetrators.
RU Reporters Unity president Shihabul Islam blamed the university proctor for calling BCL activists to disperse the protesting students and not for taking action against the accused BCL men.
‘How can the university proctor say that he could not see any incident of beating while videos, showing BCL men beating up the students and journalist in presence of him and law enforcers, goes viral on social media’, he added.
The journalists also threatened for a tougher movement if the university authority did not meet their demands.
Among others, RUJA general secretary Jahirul Islam Jahid, RUPC general secretary Manik Raihan Bappy, RURU publicity and publication affairs secretary Farid Ahmed, MCJ final year student Mollah Mohammad Sayeed, and Chhatra Union member Shakila Khatun spoke at the human chain. – RU Correspondent
