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Professor Shamima Sultana, Chair of the Bangla Department at Jahangirnagar University (JU), has removed the portrait of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from her office.
“I refuse to display the picture of the murderer whose hands are stained with my child's blood”, she said.
Professor Sultana made this statement following the anti-discrimination student movement's 'song march' at the university on Thursday afternoon.
“The streets of Dhaka are stained with the blood of deserving students. I removed the portrait in protest of this. Since she is no longer in the hearts of the Bangladeshi people, there is no reason to keep her picture on the wall”, she explained.
She also extended support for the students’ demands, adding that if the Prime Minister meets their demands, she would be willing to restore the portrait with respect.
In another development, Md Shamim Hossain, an Assistant Professor in the Bangla Department at JU, resigned from his position as the Warden of Bishwakabi Rabindranath Tagore Hall.
His resignation comes in protest against the university administration's silence regarding the recent attacks on students by Chhatra League members and the police.
Shamim submitted his resignation letter to the hall administration on July 24, following a verbal resignation announcement made to the administration on July 22.
"On the night of July 15, students and some university teachers were brutally attacked by Chhatra League members and external terrorists. Despite the presence of the Vice-Chancellor and Proctor, no action was taken. I refuse to be part of an administration that fails to ensure student safety, which is why I resigned", he said.
On the night of July 15 at JU, quota-protesting students were attacked inside the Vice-Chancellor's residence while the Vice-Chancellor and Proctor were present.
Approximately 200 leaders and activists from the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), led by University Branch President Aktaruzzaman Sohel, reportedly hired outsiders from Savar-Ashulia using trucks to carry out the assault.
The attackers were armed with machetes, cow slaughter knives, and other native-sharp weapons.
During the attack, the assailants hurled petrol bombs, cocktails, and glass bottles at the Vice-Chancellor's building, resulting in injuries to about a hundred students.
Some teachers present, who were concerned about the students' safety, were severely beaten.
Additionally, many individuals, including teachers, journalists, and students, were injured in police firing when ordinary students attempted to intervene and rescue the protesters.
The proctor's, Vice-Chancellor's, and pro-Awami teachers' passive response to the violence that night has astonished the university community.
Despite numerous appeals from campus journalists and other teachers to the university administration and police to ensure the students' safety from the Chhatra League, there were allegations that they may have facilitated the attack rather than prevented it.
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