No actions yet taken against Rabindra University teacher, students continue strike

The committee formed to investigate the incident of a teacher forcefully cutting hair of 16 students of Rabindra University submitted its report. However, the syndicate meeting did not take any action against the teacher. As a result, four students have been demonstrating hunger strike in front of the temporary campus situated near the BSCIC bus stand at Sirajganj's Shahzadpur.

The university's Rabindra studies department head and the head of the five-member probe committee, Laila Ferdous Himel submitted the report to the institution's registrar Sohrab Ali on Thursday.

The accused teacher, Farhana Yasmin Baten, former chairman of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh Studies, did not show up to present her defending speech even though she sought time twice.

The committee then submitted the report despite her absence.

The head of the committee said that the accusation has been proven but refused to share the details.

The acting Vice-Chancellor and treasurer, Abdul Latif, informed The Business Standard that he has received the probe report and it was opened on Friday at the syndicate meeting.

However, no decision regarding actions against the teacher was taken at the three-hour-long syndicate meeting.

This angered the students prompting them to continue the protest.

According to the students, Farhana Yasmin had previously told the male students to trim long hair.

On 26 September, she was standing with scissors in front of an examination hall where first-year students sat for the final examination.

She stopped the students whose hair was long.

Later, she cut the hair of 16 students at the entrance. 

The teacher then verbally abused and humiliated the students inside the examination hall as well.

The incident went viral when the victim students posted about it on Facebook in protest.

However, Farhana Yasmin called Nazmul Hasan Tuhin, one of the protesting students, to her chamber.

She insulted him and threatened to expel him permanently from the university.

After facing the humiliation, Tuhin tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills in his room at Shah Makhdum Hall the following day.

He was then rescued and taken to hospital in critical condition. He is currently undergoing treatment at Enayetpur Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College.

The incident agitated fellow students.

They staged a protest on the university campus till late night of 27 September and resumed the demo the next day.

Education Minister Dipu Moni has assured them that proper action against the accused will be taken for which they have stopped the protest afterwards.