Professor killing: RU teachers, students continue class boycott

Teachers and students of Rajshahi University continue to boycott classes for the second consecutive day today demanding punishment of the killers of one of their professors, AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee.

They also gave a 48-hour ultimatum to arrest the killers, reports our Rajshahi University correspondent.

“If our demands are not met within the deadline, we will go for a tougher agitation for an indefinite period,” Jarif Ayon, one of the key protesters, told The Daily Star.

RU Public Relation Administrator Prof Moshihur Rahman told The Daily Star that no classes were held at 50 departments as classes were boycotted by teachers and students.

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Around 10:00am, over 500 teachers and students of RU English department, wearing black badges, brought out a silent procession, which paraded different key points on the campus, demanding justice for the victim.

Lawlessness, impunity to the killers in the past are encouraging the culprits, RU VC Prof Mijanuddin said from the procession while expressing deep concern.

“Teachers are feeling insecure as some RU teachers were killed in such attacks before Prof Siddiquee’s murder,” VC Uddin told the reporters.

Later, the students also blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the main entrance of the university for half an hour from 11:30am.

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They are expected to submit a memorandum to RU vice-chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizaunuddin in this regard.

Meanwhile, Ruta held a mourning rally at the university’s Paris Road around 10:30am protesting their colleague’s murder where around 500 teachers of the university participated.

Besides, Kendrio Sangskritk Jote also arranged a protest rally where they staged a road show and sang songs protesting the murder.

Prof Siddiquee was brutally murdered in the city's Shalbagan area yesterday in an attack that police say bears the hallmark of the previous blogger killings.

Police detained an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, early today in connection with the murder, police said.