Court acquitted two other RU teachers; Jailed 10 students

Rajshahi speedy trial court yesterday acquitted two teachers and a official of Rajshahi University in the case for torching a DGFI vehicle and beating its staffs breaking emergency power rules of 2007 on August 22 campus violence.

But the court sentenced each of ten other accused RU students and an employee in the case to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined them with Tk 5000. They will suffer three months more in jail in case of defaulting to pay the fine.

The acquitted teachers Dr Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan Sajal and Dr Golam Sabbir Sattar Tapu of geology and mining department and Sadikul Islam, deputy chief information officer of RU Public Relations Office were released from Rajshahi Central Jail at 5pm.

The convicted students are -- Bangladesh Chhatra League RU unit secretary Ayenuddin, Dipayan Sarkar Dip, Mizanur Rahman Mithu, Sardar Ayaz, SM Fakrul Islam Raihan, Abu Sayem, Shamim Ahmed, Kazi Abdul Latif, Shakhawat Hossain, Aziz Bin Kamal Uzzal. All the convicted students are absconding.

Other convicted Ataur Rahman, a driver of former RU vice chancellor Faisul Islam Faruki along with the three acquitted persons were present before the court during judgement.

The assigned judge of the court Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ruhul Amin pronounced the verdict at 3.45pm after about an hour long judgement speech in a jam-packed court room.

Tight security measures were taken in and around the court where hundreds of curious people including teachers and students were gathering.

After the judgement, the acquitted teachers came out of the court smiling, but many students and relatives of the convicted burst into tears.

After campus violence of August 21 and 22, police lodged and pressed charges in a total four cases against eight teachers, an officer and 21 students.

With yesterday's verdict and Monday's Presidential clemency, trial proceedings of two cases ended and all eight detained teachers and an officer were released.

But in two other cases, the charge sheets against 11 other students are still awaiting to be accepted by court.