BANGLADESH

Former army chief Moeen U Ahmed yesterday blamed field-level officials of the army, DGFI and caretaker administration for the atrocities on Dhaka University teachers and students in August 2007.
He also claimed the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) did not act under the army's command; it rather operated on its own at that time.
The former army boss, believed to have played a key role in the workings of the last caretaker government, was giving testimony to the parliamentary sub-committee probing the campus unrest.
In an hour-long teleconference, he spoke to the committee from the US, where he has been staying for the last one and a half years.
Earlier, the then DGFI chief Major General Golam Mohammad and chief of general staff of army Major General Sinha Ibne Jamali told the parliamentary committee that they handled the situation as per instructions from the army top brass.
Headed by Rashed Khan Menon, the four-member sub-committee enquired Moeen about the claim of Golam Mohammad and Jamali.
“Arrest, torture and interrogation of students and teachers for the campus violence were done by the field-level officials of the army, DGFI and caretaker administration. The army top level was not consulted,” Menon quoted Moeen as saying.
When the committee asked if this meant there was no chain of command in the army then, Moeen kept mum.
Contacted, sources in the intelligence agency last night said the DGFI was accountable to the chief adviser at that time.
Briefing the press after the teleconference at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Menon said, “The committee is not convinced and satisfied with Moeen's replies. He tried to avoid many of our queries and put the blame on others.”
The committee, however, thanked the former army chief for appearing before it through teleconference.
Replying to a query, Moeen told the JS body that the army acted in aid of the civil administration to maintain law and order. It had no role in policymaking of the caretaker government.
Queried about the role of the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell in torturing DU teachers and students, he termed the incident “very sad” but avoided saying anything about the army's role.
The TFI cell is comprised of officials from the army, police and various intelligence agencies.
On August 20, 2007, violence erupted on DU campus when some army men beat up three students and insulted a teacher during a football match on the university gymnasium field.
Thousands of students took to the streets protesting the incident and demanded withdrawal of the army camp from the campus and an apology from the troops. In the next two days, the violence spread to other educational institutions in the capital and elsewhere.
Four teachers and eight students of DU were arrested in connection with the unrest. The law enforcement agencies also detained six Rajshahi University teachers. Faced with mounting protests, the caretaker government released them in January 2008.
In August last year, the parliamentary standing committee on the education ministry formed the sub-committee.
The committee sent letters to former chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and Moeen twice, asking them to appear before it and testify. The duo sent their reply through e-mail, but the committee rejected those, citing those were incomplete.
When the two were again asked to appear before the committee, Moeen requested that he be allowed to testify via teleconference, saying he was unwell.
As Fakhruddin, also living in the US, did not respond, the JS body decided not to contact him further.