The BUET authorities have filed two cases accusing around a hundred teachers and students of launching attacks on the offices of the Vice Chancellor and Pro-VC, vandalism, ransacking records and looting Tk 0.3 million.
The cases, which demonstrators claim is part of a conspiracy to stifle their VC and pro-VC ouster movement, were filed at the Shahbagh Police Station after 11pm on Sunday by the university's Assistant Registrar (Security) Golam Kuddus Khan.
"A total of 49 teachers and students have been named and another 50 unnamed are accused in the two cases," Shahbagh Police Station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shirajul Islam told bdnews24.com.
The first case accuses 20 teachers and five students for attacking the office of Vice Chancellor S M Nazrul Islam, vandalism, looting Tk 0.3 million and ransacking records.
The list includes BUET Teachers'Association Registrar Ataur Rahman, Civil Engineering Department Teacher Ishtiaque Ahmed and Mechanical Engineering Department Chairman Ehsan.
The second case accuses 19 teachers and five students and another 50 unnamed 'miscreants' for attacking the office of Pro-VC Habibur Rahman, vandalism and ransacking records.
Vice President of the teacher's platform, Maksud Helali, and Mahbub Razzak were named in the list of accused.
Meanwhile, immediately after the cases where filed, police went to the campus and cordoned the demonstrators for some time, hiking tension in the area.
'It was Chhatra League'
The demonstrators have claimed that activists of the ruling party's student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, kicked the doors of the offices when they swooped on the VC and Pro-VC's offices on Sunday. They added that they were not responsible.
On Sunday, the students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology gave the embattled Vice Chancellor and the Pro-Vice Chancellor until 11am Monday to resign.
Or else, they threatened the authorities with 'tougher' agitation alongside the on-going nonstop sit-in demonstrations in front of the administrative building that continued through the night. The teachers, who were the first to raise the demand for resignations, also declared to join in.
Earlier in the morning, they burnt effigies of the VC and the Pro-VC as the 10am deadline they had given ended with no result.
They paraded down the campus chanting slogans against the duo and began staging sit-in in front of the administrative building, joined by the teachers.
Meanwhile, about 50 activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League's BUET chapter, which has been disbanded, donning white T-shirts gathered in front of the university cafeteria. The T-shirts read 'Honourable teachers, please keep classes out of the movement'.
They took out a procession carrying a banner 'Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Chhatra League'. They say the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami people were fanning the demonstrations against the VC and his deputy.
Tension ran high when the BCL activists reached the administrative building where the students were staging protests.
The BCL activists tried to enter the administrative building claiming that the VC and the Pro-VC had been confined to their offices, leading to a scuffle as the students tried to prevent them from interfering in their programmes.
The BCL supporters, however, forced their way into the offices of the VC and Pro-VC, and on their way out of the offices, they took the loudspeaker the general students were using.
According to the demonstrators, only a handful of the BCL activists were students of the university. BUET Proctor Dr Humayun Kabir said, "Some outsiders are trying to destroy our movement by attacking us. But we are not afraid (of them)."
Currently, the BCL has no official committee at BUET. This is the first time the BCL adherents came out on the campus since students and teachers burst into protest demanding resignation of what they say the 'corrupt' VC and Pro-VC.
When asked for comment on the demand, VC Islam said, "I have not been given any deadline. The teachers discussed with me yesterday and I listened to them and also told them about my thoughts."
"The government's decision is my decision," he added.
Leaders of the university's teachers association met the VC and Pro-VC on Saturday to ask them to step down for the sake of the university.
The BUET erupted into protests as students took to the streets on the first day it reopened after 44 days of closure on account of the Eid-ul-Fitr. General teachers also did not go to classes after the university reopened on Aug 25.
The agitation has also made the fate of thousands of admission-seekers uncertain.
The teachers' association began work abstention on Apr 7 demanding removal of the VC and Pro-VC. They continued with the programme until the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged a solution to the crisis after consulting the President, the Chancellor.
They resumed agitation as no decision came forth from the government and announced nonstop work abstention from July 14.
In the wake of the teacher-student movement, the authorities had advanced the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation to close it on July 10 but the decision failed to deter the protests and the teachers kept boycotting the classes.
The cases, which demonstrators claim is part of a conspiracy to stifle their VC and pro-VC ouster movement, were filed at the Shahbagh Police Station after 11pm on Sunday by the university's Assistant Registrar (Security) Golam Kuddus Khan.
"A total of 49 teachers and students have been named and another 50 unnamed are accused in the two cases," Shahbagh Police Station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shirajul Islam told bdnews24.com.
The first case accuses 20 teachers and five students for attacking the office of Vice Chancellor S M Nazrul Islam, vandalism, looting Tk 0.3 million and ransacking records.
The list includes BUET Teachers'Association Registrar Ataur Rahman, Civil Engineering Department Teacher Ishtiaque Ahmed and Mechanical Engineering Department Chairman Ehsan.
The second case accuses 19 teachers and five students and another 50 unnamed 'miscreants' for attacking the office of Pro-VC Habibur Rahman, vandalism and ransacking records.
Vice President of the teacher's platform, Maksud Helali, and Mahbub Razzak were named in the list of accused.
Meanwhile, immediately after the cases where filed, police went to the campus and cordoned the demonstrators for some time, hiking tension in the area.
'It was Chhatra League'
The demonstrators have claimed that activists of the ruling party's student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, kicked the doors of the offices when they swooped on the VC and Pro-VC's offices on Sunday. They added that they were not responsible.
On Sunday, the students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology gave the embattled Vice Chancellor and the Pro-Vice Chancellor until 11am Monday to resign.
Or else, they threatened the authorities with 'tougher' agitation alongside the on-going nonstop sit-in demonstrations in front of the administrative building that continued through the night. The teachers, who were the first to raise the demand for resignations, also declared to join in.
Earlier in the morning, they burnt effigies of the VC and the Pro-VC as the 10am deadline they had given ended with no result.
They paraded down the campus chanting slogans against the duo and began staging sit-in in front of the administrative building, joined by the teachers.
Meanwhile, about 50 activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League's BUET chapter, which has been disbanded, donning white T-shirts gathered in front of the university cafeteria. The T-shirts read 'Honourable teachers, please keep classes out of the movement'.
They took out a procession carrying a banner 'Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Chhatra League'. They say the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami people were fanning the demonstrations against the VC and his deputy.
Tension ran high when the BCL activists reached the administrative building where the students were staging protests.
The BCL activists tried to enter the administrative building claiming that the VC and the Pro-VC had been confined to their offices, leading to a scuffle as the students tried to prevent them from interfering in their programmes.
The BCL supporters, however, forced their way into the offices of the VC and Pro-VC, and on their way out of the offices, they took the loudspeaker the general students were using.
According to the demonstrators, only a handful of the BCL activists were students of the university. BUET Proctor Dr Humayun Kabir said, "Some outsiders are trying to destroy our movement by attacking us. But we are not afraid (of them)."
Currently, the BCL has no official committee at BUET. This is the first time the BCL adherents came out on the campus since students and teachers burst into protest demanding resignation of what they say the 'corrupt' VC and Pro-VC.
When asked for comment on the demand, VC Islam said, "I have not been given any deadline. The teachers discussed with me yesterday and I listened to them and also told them about my thoughts."
"The government's decision is my decision," he added.
Leaders of the university's teachers association met the VC and Pro-VC on Saturday to ask them to step down for the sake of the university.
The BUET erupted into protests as students took to the streets on the first day it reopened after 44 days of closure on account of the Eid-ul-Fitr. General teachers also did not go to classes after the university reopened on Aug 25.
The agitation has also made the fate of thousands of admission-seekers uncertain.
The teachers' association began work abstention on Apr 7 demanding removal of the VC and Pro-VC. They continued with the programme until the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged a solution to the crisis after consulting the President, the Chancellor.
They resumed agitation as no decision came forth from the government and announced nonstop work abstention from July 14.
In the wake of the teacher-student movement, the authorities had advanced the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation to close it on July 10 but the decision failed to deter the protests and the teachers kept boycotting the classes.
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