DU Black Day
Trial of perpetrators demanded
The Dhaka University authorities yesterday observed the university Black Day marking the 2007 army assault on the students.
On the occasion, students, teachers and officials wore black ribbons, and classes were suspended till 1:00pm. They also held a discussion at TSC.
The DU Black Day is observed on August 23, but this year the authorities shifted it to August 28 (yesterday) due to Eid vacation.
Addressing the programme as chief guest, Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique urged the government to take necessary steps against the culprits to stop recurrence of such incidents. No-one will dare to do the same thing in the future if the culprits are tried, he said.
DU Pro-VC (Administration) Prof Shahid Akhtar Hussain and Pro-VC (Education) Prof Nasreen Ahmad also addressed the programme.
On August 20, 2007, army men assaulted some students on the university central playground during a football match. Immediately after the incident, thousands of DU students took to streets and demanded withdrawal of an army camp from the university's gymnasium and an apology from the troops.
Over the next two days, law enforces and students clashed on the campus, which left more than 250 people wounded, mostly students. The then army-backed caretaker government later arrested four DU teachers and several students.
On December 11, 2011, a parliamentary body recommended that former chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, ex-home adviser MA Matin, former army chief Moeen U Ahmed, ex-DGFI officers ATM Amin and Fazlul Bari should be brought to justice for their role.
It also blamed the then DGFI official Shamsul Alam Khan, former police chief Nur Mohammad and Maj (retd) Quamrul and DU Assistant Proctor Nazmul Ahsan Kolimullah for the incident.
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