DU Prof accused of 'Razakar' slur chased

Dhaka University witnessed fresh turbulence on Thursday afternoon when students chased away a pro-Awami League professor who had arrived on campus to submit a memorandum seeking the reinstatement of more than 100 teachers barred from duty for the past 15 months.

Professor Dr AKM Jamal Uddin, convener of a Blue Panel faction and a sociology academic, had gone to hand a seven-point list of demands to the Vice-Chancellor. As the VC was absent, he delivered it to the personal secretary. Moments later, he and colleague Professor Zinat Huda headed to the Sociology faculty lounge for tea. That brief pause triggered a dramatic confrontation.

A group of students surrounded them outside the Faculty of Social Sciences, shouting that "accomplices of identified fascists" had appeared on campus. Jamal and Huda were quickly ushered into a waiting private car and fled the area as students attempted to block their escape. The incident intensified after DUCSU Social Services Secretary AB Jubayer claimed in a Facebook post that Jamal and several teachers had arrived for a "secret meeting."

"We tried to hand them over to police, but they ran," he wrote, adding that students of the Sociology Department had long been boycotting these teachers' classes and exams.

Professor Jamal rejected the allegations outright.

"There were no Blue Panel activities. We simply went to submit a memorandum. After that, some students suddenly approached us and behaved rudely," he said.