Why I Left the University Teachers’ Network

Opinion

We all know about the horrific repression faced by leaders and activists of the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League after August 5. Chhatra League members were not only subjected to brutality in all educational institutions but were also systematically deprived of their basic human rights with the direct backing of the government. In the name of building an egalitarian society, so-called revolutionaries have destroyed the academic lives of most Chhatra League activists, even resorting to murder. Thousands of students are too afraid to return to campus. This list includes not just students but also many teachers.

Just a few days ago, an 80-year-old freedom fighter and retired teacher from Jagannath University was arrested after being subjected to mob justice while on campus to collect her pension. Today, a Hindu teacher at Chittagong University was attacked by Chhatra Shibir activists when he went to attend a promotion interview. Many teachers at Dhaka University are being forced by their colleagues to stay away from campus. While some departments have resolved the issue, four teachers each from the Social Science and Law departments have been barred from academic and administrative duties. Some teachers are playing dirty politics by inciting students against them. Their crime? They were associated with or supported the Awami League or Chhatra League. Even teachers known for their pro-liberation stance are being harassed.

I often say one thing—in the end, everything is personal. Those who were known as apolitical teachers and students and enjoyed all privileges under the Awami League regime are now leading the movement. Those who were deprived of positions during the Awami League’s tenure are now reclaiming them through courts or other means. The very people who once benefited from these teachers are now putting them in danger. For example, Professor Sadeka Halim, former VC of Jagannath University and a professor in the Social Science department, has been unjustly removed from her position, despite those who once sought her favors now turning against her.

Professor Rahmatullah of the Law department has been suspended, but when he was dean and faced cases during the Awami League government’s tenure, I personally saw how close he was to Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul. When two young teachers who completed their master’s from Cambridge University were appointed to the Law department, Asif Nazrul praised them on Facebook as the best appointments. They have since been expelled from the department. Another suspended teacher from the Law department, whom Asif Nazrul introduced to me in 2022 as one of the best in the department, is also suffering. Under Rahmatullah’s patronage, Asif Nazrul became the chair of the Law department and patronized Chhatra Shibir and Hizb ut-Tahrir. It’s no secret that he held meetings with them in his office after hours.

During the July movement, alongside student leaders, some members of the University Teachers’ Network became prominent faces. Their protests against government repression of teachers and students—both on the streets and online—made them favorites among leftist and centrist circles. It was because of such activism that I joined the University Teachers’ Network a few years ago, aligning myself with their work. Their relentless presence during the July-August movement, securing the release of movement leaders from RAB custody, and demanding the fall of the Awami League government turned them into heroes of the movement. They even received official recognition and are now called “July fighters.” Perhaps they will receive government stipends soon.

Personally, I defended the Teachers’ Network during and after the movement, even arguing with several people about it. However, after August 5, the entire authority of the network fell into the hands of a few individuals who made all the decisions. They quickly deviated from the ideals they initially stood for. The same network that vocally supported persecuted teachers and students under the Awami League, protested on the streets, and regularly issued statements, chose to remain silent post-August 5. Across Bangladesh, countless teachers and students faced political persecution and human rights violations, yet the University Teachers’ Network did not utter a single word in their defense. Are Chhatra League or Awami League members not human? Do they not have rights?

I have distanced myself from the University Teachers’ Network because I see no justification in staying with an organization that has failed to uphold inclusivity and neutrality. This network has not remained neutral. One of its influential members is frequently seen at events with leaders of the National Citizens’ Committee/Party, emerging as a close ally of the government. Another member is playing a similar role. Had he been a full professor during the movement, he might have become a university VC. He later secured his professorship through a court ruling.

Another member received a major reward—becoming a member of the University Grants Commission, fulfilling his life’s ambition. Another teacher has tried to remain somewhat neutral, though he became a full professor shortly after this government came to power. Hoping for personal gains, another member even adopted a unisexual identity! Having received nothing, he has now turned anti-government. Instead of chasing personal gains, they should have continued what they were doing before. Their primary identity should be as teachers to all students, ensuring colleagues are protected and maintaining collegiality.

A few days ago, I wrote about a former Dhaka University student who got the opportunity to pursue a master’s at Harvard. Because she was associated with Chhatra League, she faced severe backlash after the political shift on August 5. She had already finished her final-year written exams before the movement began, at a time when the government had not yet banned Chhatra League. A Facebook post under the guise of “general students” declared that if her viva and thesis defense were conducted, her entire class would boycott the teachers. She then received death and rape threats, forcing her to deactivate her Facebook. She reached out to two highly active members of the Teachers’ Network—her direct teachers—but despite her desperate emails and calls, they remained silent.

As the top student of her class, all teachers knew her well. Yet, when her academic life was on the verge of collapse, they did not even reply to her emails, let alone extend help through other teachers. She was warned not to return to campus due to threats of murder and rape. Since these two influential teachers had sway over radical students and good relations with them, she had hoped for their intervention. But they offered no help. Only after other teachers informed the VC did she finally get to take her viva online, scoring the highest marks in her class.

-Dr. Mohammad Mahmud Hasan
Associate Professor, Department of Law, Carleton University, Canada