BANGLADESH

The agitating BUET students are yet to decide about their return to class though they welcomed removal of the Pro-Vice Chancellor and withdrawal of cases against them.

They now say the administration has to be shaken up alongside dropping criminal charges.

The government removed Pro-VC M Habibur Rahman on Sunday in the wake of movement by the teachers and students and the Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid hoped that classes would resume on Monday.

Asked about their decision following the latest developments, Avik Roy, a representative of the students, said, "We thank the government for removing the Pro-VC. Still, we have two demands unmet."

"We will return to class only after the cases are withdrawn and the hall administration is reorganised," he added.

Minister Nahid had agreed to the demands of the students after they had refused to halt nonstop agitation though their teachers called off theirs on Sep 3 on promises from the minister. On Sep 5, he told students that the Pro-VC would be removed, cases filed against the agitating students withdrawn and measures taken so that the students were not harassed after the agitation was over.

Nahid had sat with the agitating teachers and students last week as academic activities at the university remained suspended for almost three months.

In the meetings, he had assured the aggrieved that their demand of removing Vice Chancellor Prof SM Nazrul Islam would also be considered later on.

On Aug 7, students had said they would return only after the assurances were implemented.

After removal of Pro-VC, the minister said, ""I want to see them in the classroom tomorrow. I expect they will act responsibly."

He also pointed out that final reports were submitted to the two cases filed against the teachers and students.

"So the case does not exist anymore," he added.

The teachers, however, do not see any stumbling blocks to their returning to class.

"There is no major obstacle to resume classes," said BUET Teachers Association's General Secretary Prof Ashraful Islam after the Pro-VC's exit.

He, however, termed the cases 'sensitive'.

"I hope the cases will be withdrawn by tomorrow (Monday). We will decide about returning to class later on," he said.

Student representative Roy also indicated at taking the decision after discussing matters with their teachers.

BUET Vice Chancellor SM Nazrul Islam said a new academic calendar would be announced with the day of resumption of classes being the first day.

"No fresh formalities or notice are needed to be issued for beginning of the class," he said. Once activities resume, the VC expects to sit with the Teachers' Association.

Asked if the teachers would sit with the VC, General Secretary Prof Islam said, "The Association will take a call on that. The situation to return to class has been created, but we lack confidence in the VC."

"You (journalists) will be informed about our (teachers association) stance regarding the VC," he added.

The teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC Islam and Pro-VC Rahman of a slew of irregularities in the administration. The students also eventually jumped on the bandwagon.

In the wake of the joint movement, the authorities had advanced the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation by a month to close it on July 10 until Aug 24. The decision, however, failed to deter the protesters from going ahead with the movement.

The university resumed on Aug 25 but classes and examinations did not take place as the teachers and students pressed on with their protest.

Junior LGRD Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak has finished giving his account in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny.

After he finished his statement, defence lawyer Aminul Islam started quizzing him on Monday at the special court set up at Aliya Madrassa playground in the old part of the city.

On Aug 27, treasury bench Whip and Awami League leader Mirza Azam finished giving his testimony in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny. He was then grilled by the defence.

The BDR mutiny saw 73 persons killed, including 57 army officials deputed to the force. After the bloody mutiny, the border force was revamped to form the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

A case has been filed against 150 students of the Jessore Science and Technology University for allegedly taking part in torching of a vehicle following deaths of two fellow students in road crash on Sep 5.

A bus ran over two students of the university at Shantala area killing them on the spot. In protest, the fellow students took to the streets and demanded compensation. They had vented out their anger by torching a Garai Paribahan bus.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Model Police Station said, "The owner of the torched bus, Sharifuzzaman, filed the case around 11:30pm on Sunday."

Meanwhile, following the torching incident, a platform of the vehicle owners and workers in Jessore has enforced a transport strike on the Jhenidah, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur routes.

President of Bangladesh Paribahan Sangstha Sramik Samiti Azizul Alam Mintu alleged that apart from torching a vehicle, the agitated students had also smashed another one. He said the separate incidents had cost them around Tk 2 million.

Mintu said bus communication on the routes would remain shut until the administration assured them of safety.

Telecom regulator BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed has died of a heart attack.

Doctors at United Hospital pronounced him dead around 3:30am in the morning, Ahsan Habib Khan , a director general at BTRC, told bdnews24.com on Monday.

Ahmed, a retired major general, was appointed to head the national telecom regulator in February 2009 for three years. His contract was extended by another year this year.

He had been sent into retirement by the BNP-led government as a Brigadier General. The ruling Awami League government promoted Ahmed, along with many others in similar cases, to major general in 2009 with retrospective affect.

Ahmed had served in the military's signals corps since his commission in 1975 and in a number of high profile positions on his way to making a general.

He served in Mozambique as a member of the United Nations peacekeeping force. After his retirement from the army, he worked as a consultant at various ICT (information and communication technology) oriented organisations.

Janaza and burial

Zia's body has been taken to his Baridhara DOHS residence from the hospital, Ahsan Habib Khan told bdnews24.com.

His first namaz-e-janaza will take place at Dhaka Cantonment's Garrison Mosque and a second at Baridhara DOHS Mosque before his burial at the Banani Army Graveyard.