Dhaka University (DU) today is observing as the ‘Black Day’ in memory of the ‘inhuman, sad and condemnable’ attack on the university’s teachers, students and officials on August 20-23, 2007 during the caretaker government regime, reports BSS.
Teachers, students, officials and employees of the university will wear black badges marking the day, said a DU press release on Thursday. A discussion will also be held at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) around 11:00 am with DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Md. Akhtaruzzaman in the chair, added the release. On August 20 in 2007, some military members severely beat up students and a violent clash ensued between them centering a football match at DU central playground.
Thousands of DU students took to the streets protesting the incident and demanded withdrawal of the army camp from the campus and an apology from the troops. The protest afterwards spread to all the educational institutions across the country. Following the clash, the then army-backed caretaker government imposed a curfew on the divisional cities and later arrested four DU teachers- Prof Dr Anwar Hossain, Prof Dr Sadrul Amin, Prof Dr Harun-or-Rashid and Prof Dr Neem Chandra Bhowmick and several students on August 23 and tortured them. The university observes August 23 as the Black Day every year.