Attacks and arrests on freedom fighters, teachers, journalists: University teachers strongly condemn

❐ BD Digest Desk

Teachers of various public universities in the country have expressed deep concern and strongly condemned and protested the attacks and arrests on freedom fighters, teachers and journalists in Dhaka. In a joint statement, they said, “Our independent Bangladesh was achieved in exchange for the sacrifice of 3 million martyrs in the great liberation war, the loss of dignity of millions of mothers and sisters, the sacrifice of freedom fighters and the struggle of crores of Bengalis regardless of race, color, religion and gender. The constitution bought with that blood is damaged today.”

Teachers say that the best children of the nation, the heroic freedom fighters, the conscience of the nation, teachers, journalists and non-communal consciousness are being continuously attacked in a heinous and brutal manner. Teachers, journalists and intellectuals who believe in the Liberation War and non-communal consciousness are passing their days in extreme insecurity. The memory of the Liberation War is being destroyed; a group is working in a well-planned manner to distort history.

The statement further said that in such a difficult time, during a roundtable discussion titled “Our Great War of Independence and the Constitution of Bangladesh” organized by freedom fighter Advocate ZI Khan Panna and with one of the drafters of the constitution, Dr. Kamal Hossain, as the chief guest, at Dhaka Reporters Unity, a violent mob was created and around 20 people including freedom fighter Latif Siddiqui, Dhaka University teacher Professor Dr. Hafizur Rahman Curzon, journalist Manjurul Alam Panna, constitutional expert Professor Dr. Mesbah Kamal were arrested. The freedom fighters present were also physically assaulted.

The teachers alleged that the incident is directly related to the recent arrogant and insulting remarks made by the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan. This attack is not just an attack on individuals, but also on the identity, history and spirit of the nation’s liberation war.

The university teachers said, “It is our responsibility to protect the honor of freedom fighters in independent and sovereign Bangladesh. We are united to prevent any attempt to insult the great liberation war. We demand the immediate unconditional release of all those arrested. At the same time, we request the international community to stand by us in protecting independent and sovereign Bangladesh, just as they cooperated in the great liberation war.”

This statement was signed by prominent academics and professors:

Professor Dr. M Ahiduzzaman, Professor Dr. Anwar Hossain, Professor Dr. Nim Chandra Bhowmik, Professor Dr. Md. Akhtarul Islam, Professor Dr. Zinat Huda, Professor Dr. Md. Anwarul Islam, Professor Dr. Habibur Rahman, Professor Dr. Purba Islam, Professor Dr. M.Z. Mamun, Professor Dr. A. K. M. Jamal Uddin, Professor Dr. Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Curzon, Professor Dr. Afzal Hossain, Professor Dr. Saiful Islam Khan, Professor Dr. Shabnam Jahan, Professor Dr. Harunor Rashid Khan, Professor Dr. Touhida Rashid, Professor Dr. Mohammad Ajmal Hossain Bhuiyan, Professor Dr. Jamila A Chowdhury, Professor Dr. Kamal Uddin, Professor Dr. Kajal Krishna Banerjee, Professor Dr. Ahsan Habib Helal, Professor Dr. Md. Asaduzzaman, Professor Dr. Sitesh Chandra Bachar, Professor M. Moniruzzaman, Professor Dr. Abdur Razzak Khan, Professor Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter, Professor Dr. Abdul Awal, Professor Dr. Hossain Mansur, Professor Mashiur Rahman, Professor Dr. Subrata Saha, Professor Dr. Jasim Uddin,

Professor Dr. Osman Gani Talukder, Dr. Siddharth Dey, Professor Dr. Rafiul Islam, Professor Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Professor Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, Professor Dr. Ahsanul Ambia, Professor Dr. Abul Mansur Ahmed, Professor Dr. SM Abdur Rahman, Professor Dr. Abu Sara Shamsur Rouf, Dr. Mahbub Alam Pradeep, Dr. Neelima Akhtar, Professor Dr. Ruhul Amin, Dr. Belal Hossain, Professor Dr. Md. Shamim Hossain, Professor Asaduzzaman, Professor Dr. Firoz Zaman, Professor Dr. Mahbub Al Maruf, Professor Dr. Omar Faruk, Professor Dr. Rafiul Islam, Professor Dr. Md. Aminul Haque Bhuiyan, Mrs. Kamrun Nahar, Professor Dr. Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Professor Dr. Suraiya Akhtar, Professor Dr. Jahanara Arzu, Professor Md. Jamal Hossain, Professor Dr. Faruk Uddin, Professor Dr. Imran Kabir Chowdhury, Professor Dr. Javid Iqbal Bangali, Professor Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, Professor Dr. Soma Dey, Professor Dr. Abdur Rahman, Professor Dr. Mostafizur Rahman, Professor Md. Rabiul Islam Jabed,

Professor Dr. Md. Shahidullah, Professor Dr. Yahia Khandaker, Professor Dr. Afrina Mustari, Professor Dr. Akhter Hossain, Professor Habibur Rahman, Professor Dr. Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Professor Md. Hanif Siddiqui, Professor Dr. Tapan Kumar Joddar, Professor Dr. Himadri Shekhar, Professor Prabhas Kumar Chakladar, Dr. Md. Mahmudul Hasan, Professor Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Professor Dr. Raihan Sarkar, Professor Dr. A. T. M. Shamchujoha, Professor Shah Azam, Professor Harun Or Rashid, Professor Dr. Abdul Mannan, Professor Rabiul Islam, Professor Badsha Mia, Professor Abdul Alim, Professor Zakia Sultana Mukta, Professor Saidul Islam, Professor Farid Uddin, Professor Dr. Ujjwal Kumar, Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, Professor Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, Professor Sajjad Hossain, Professor Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Professor Dr. Md. Alamgir Hossain, Dr. Md. Abdul Qayyum, Professor Dr. Abul Hossain, Professor Enamul Kabir, Professor Altaf Russell, Professor Shamimur Rahman, Professor Farzana Islam,

Professor Sabbir Sattar, Professor Dr. Shakhawat Nayan, Professor Dr. Santosh Kumar Basu, Professor Dr. Anik Krishna Karmakar, Professor Dr. Jebunnesa Alukder, Professor Dr. Bashir Ahmed, Professor Sanjay Mukherjee, Professor Azizur Rahman, Professor Redwan Ahmed, Professor Khandaker Jahangir Alam, Professor Rashed Mosharraf, Professor Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Professor Dr. Hasinur Rashid, Professor AFM Abdul Moin, Professor Dr. Mamun, Professor Zulfiqar, Professor Dr. Molla Haque, Professor Shahidullah Howlader, Professor Dr. Kazi Shahanara Ahmed, Professor Humayun Kabir Bakul, Professor Dr. MAM Yahia Khandaker, Professor Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Professor Sadiqul Islam, Professor Siddharth Sankar, Professor Dr. Farhana Haque, Professor Dr. Md. Zakir Hossain, Professor Dr. Tanvir Rahman, Professor Dr. Moniruzzaman, Professor Dr. Muhammad Jabed Hossain, Professor Dr. Mujib Uddin Ahmed, Professor Mazaharul Islam, Professor Md. Kamruzzaman Sarkar,

Professor Dr. Swadesh Chandra, Professor Dr. Md. Kabir Hossain, Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, Professor Abdus Sobhan, Professor Zubair Ahmed, Professor Dr. Mustaq Ahmed, Professor Dr. Subhash Chandra, Professor Shariful Islam, Professor Dr. Sujan Sen, Professor Dr. Tovel, Professor Dr. Awal Kabir Joy, Mr. Ilyas Uddin, Dr. Md. Nazmul Hasan Siddiqui, Professor Dr. Imdadul Haque, Professor Asadul Islam, Professor Dr. Sulaiman Hossain, Professor Dr. Sourav Pal, Professor Dr. Nasrin Sultana, Professor Dr. Kalyan De, Professor Dr. Shukla Das, Professor Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman, Professor Dr. Lutfar Rahman, Professor Dr. Molla Haque, Professor Dr. Hasan Muhammad, Professor Dr. Shamsuddin Ilyas, Professor Dr. Ajmal Huda, Professor Roknuzzaman Jewel, Professor Sultan Islam, Professor Monirul Islam, Professor Habibur Rahman, Professor Ibrahim Mia, Professor Mehedi Hasan Iqbal, Professor Mostafizur Rahman, Professor Zillur Rahman, Professor Alauddin Khokon,

Professor Laila Ahmed, Professor Tariqul Islam Sarkar, Professor Ahsan Habib, Professor Ilias Hossain, Professor Subash Kanti Das, Professor Mamunur Rashid, Professor Alamgir Sarkar, Professor Abu Zafar Siddiqui, Professor Bahar Uddin, Professor Mamun Al Asad, Professor Ali Azgar Ahmed, Professor Abul Kashem, Professor Manjurul Islam Pramanik, Professor Abu Naser Sarkar, Professor Abdullah Al Abir, Professor Boron Iqbal Siddiqui, Professor Fazlur Rahman, Professor Dr. Zahidul Islam, Professor Hasibul Bari, Professor Faisal Gani Tipu, Professor Sujan Sen, Professor Sultan Ahmed, Professor Zahid Hasan, Professor Jannatul Bari, Professor Selim Nasreen, Professor Nurul Islam Patwari, Professor Omar Faruk Didar, Professor Dulal Chandra, Professor Rashed Hasan Nabi, Professor Nazir Molla Jalal, Professor Swapan Chandra Biswas, Professor Haris Ahmed, Professor Rasheduzzaman Khan, Professor Akhtaruzzaman Babu, Professor Ruhul Amin,

Professor Tapan Kumar Biswas, Professor Ahsan-ul Haque, Professor Ibrahim Abdullah Mahbub, Professor Rabiul Hossain Palash, Professor Asim Kumar Biswas, Professor Dr. Md. Jahangir Sadat, Professor Anisur Rahman Kawsar, Professor Abdullah Al Faruk, Professor Rakibul Islam Nayan, Professor Pradeep Kumar Das, Professor Sajjad Hossain Arman, Professor Liton Kumar Barman, Professor Nasimuzzaman Badal, Professor Rafiqul Islam Jabed, Professor Md. Shariful Islam, Professor Dr. Shampa Jahan, Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor Abul Kashem Talukder, Professor Mohammad Ainul Haque, Professor Sadat Akbar Hossain, Professor Ariful Islam Joarder, Professor Ruhul Amin Howlader, Professor Md. Zakaria Sarkar, Professor Hasanul Haque Majumder, Professor Golam Kabir, Professor Nazmul Huda, Professor Abdullah Al Masum, Professor Kamrunnahar Mousumi, Professor Firoz Ahmed Khan, Professor Shahnewaz Rabbi Mia, Professor Zahidul Alam,

Professor Abu Naser Chowdhury, Professor Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan, Professor Ashrafuzzaman Sajib, Professor Ekramul Haque, Professor Shahadat Kamal, Professor Ashish Talha, Professor Ali Ahmed, Professor Rezaur Karim, Professor Sirajul Islam Sikder, Professor Faruk Hossain, Professor Tariqul Islam, Professor Bijoy Kumar Pal, Professor Humayun Ahmed, Professor Firoz Alam, Professor Shahnewaz Mondal, Professor Dr. Masuder Rahman, Professor Selim ul Masud, Professor Akhter Hoson Limon, Dr. Ruhul Amin, Dr. Mohammad Sayedul Islam Sarkar, Professor Boni Adam, Professor Alauddin Khokon, Professor Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan, Professor Manjurul Islam Pramanik, Professor Rashed Hasan Nabi, Professor Borhan Iqbal Siddiqui, Professor Monirul Islam, Professor Dr. Md. Shahidul Islam Sekender, Professor Dr. Sahida Mondal, Professor Dr. Md. Imtiaz Islam, Professor Dr. Anindita Habib, Md. Azahar Uddin Bhuiyan, Shahrima Tanjin Arni, Professor Rezaur Karim, Professor Sadat Akbar Hossain, Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, S. M. Moazzem Hossain.