Rahnuma Ahmed writes about the ongoing strike by students in Jahangirnagar University on continued sexual harassment by members of faculty and the absence of any due process by the University to address this.

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THEY have been protesting for the last five months. They have been denied justice. One of them, Ainun Nahar, a second-year student of the drama and dramatics department at Jahangirnagar University, details repeated incidents of sexual harassment that she suffered from Sanwar Hossain Sani, the chairperson. In a written statement addressed to Jahangirnagar University's vice-chancellor, dated May 3, 2008, she writes, and I excerpt:

   17.03.2008: I did badly in my viva, I was very ill, my friends said the teachers had re-taken Munni's exams, maybe I could ask Sani sir. He sent word that I should go to his room. I entered, he asked me to sit down. He heard me out and said, 'Why are you so worried, I control the marks, don't cry.' I said, 'No sir, I'm not crying. I'm upset.' He said, 'Come, I'll bless you.' He stood up, I went to pay my respects but he grabbed hold of me. I tried to push him away. He bent down, kissed me on my forehead. I pushed him away and ran.

   27.03.2008: We were taking part in Meghdoot's rehearsals, he called me to his room. 'So, what do you think of yourself? Wait till I flunk you in your exams. Hey, come here, you don't seem to hear what I say, huh?' I tried to leave, he grabbed my hand, he tried to kiss me. I ran out of the room.

   30.04.2008: Rehearsals for Sani sir's production were being held, there was a ten-minute break. I was very sick. Rumon came and said, 'Sir says Supreeta and you should go to his room, it has an AC.' I was very angry, Supreeta was pregnant, even that did not deter him. I went and told Supreeta and Shimu. Shimu said, 'You cannot imagine what that man has done to me.' She started to talk. I opened up too. We decided to speak out. We went to the third-floor laboratory. We shut the door [and told our classmates]. After listening to Shimu, Supreeta and myself, Dipti came forward. That is how the whole story came out. We felt we must protest. We must get justice.

   Single voices that had been raised in protest grew louder when two senior women students came forward. They too had been abused, but had stayed silent out of fear and shame. What would people say? Would anyone believe them? Fifteen others joined them, speaking of their own experiences of harassment, of Sani's abuse of power.

   The department's students joined en masse, and thus began the present movement at Jahangirnagar University. The students demanded Sani's dismissal, they demanded a code against sexual harassment (generally referred to as 'the policy' on JU campus), an institutional means of lodging complaints, establishing procedures for investigating complaints, preventative clauses that would discourage false complaints, measures for seeking redress in cases where complaints were justified.

   They have refused to return to their classes. They have held demonstrations, rallies, both on JU campus and in Dhaka, organised sieges and lock-outs. They even held a fast-unto-death programme, thankfully cut short after leaders of the women's movement, writers and other intellectuals went to campus and pleaded with them.

   In response to student pressure, Jahangirnagar university authorities formed a fact-finding committee. The committee duly submitted its report. The university authorities then formed a 'stronger' fact-finding committee, according to newspaper reports, an 'unusual' move. That committee too submitted its report. Student agitation continued. Finally, a high-powered probe body, called the final enquiry committee, headed by the acting vice-chancellor, was formed.

   On September 13, in a special session the Jahangirnagar University Syndicate cleared Sanwar Hossain Sani of all charges, due to a lack of 'hard evidence'. This was announced by Mohammad Moniruzzaman, the acting vice-chancellor, flanked by members of the twelve-platoon strong police force that had been deployed on campus – to waiting students and members of the press.

   I spoke to Anu Mohammad, professor of economics, and a well-known public intellectual. 'I have spoken to members of the earlier two committees. Nothing in their report supports Sani's outright acquittal. Group politics amongst teachers played its part, I don't think Golam Mostafa of the Bangla department would have been dismissed if he had belonged to the "right" group. Sani belongs to the group that forms the majority in the Syndicate, in the final enquiry committee and the Jahangirnagar University Teachers Association executive committee.' 'Have you spoken to any of the Syndicate members, what did they say?' I asked. 'Yes, I rang one of them, he said, You people are an emotional lot. We did not find any evidence, there was no consistency in the statements of these girls, "a kiss on my forehead" changes to "a kiss on my cheeks", "he put his hand on my back" changes to "he put his arms around my waist."'

   Listening to Anu, I think what's wrong with being 'emotional'? It is emotions that inspire one to fight for social justice, for higher ideals. I mull over it and think, actually, he is right. The Syndicate was 'rational' in its decision. It was a cool, calculated rationality framed by the politics of teachers' groupings at Jahangirnagar University, aimed at protecting their own.

   Anu went on, a senior woman professor keeps scoffing, 'Oh, these are dramatics girls, they know how to act.' I immediately thought, if so, surely their teacher knows how to act better? But a tit-for-tat response can only make one feel clever, it does not resolve the problem of sexual harassment. Anu continued, 'And the students, I believe, they also handed in an audio recording of Sani talking to a student, he sounded very nervous, he spoke of destroying the students' movement, of how he was trying to mobilise people.' Listening to Anu, I remembered what I myself have heard, Sani was 'in control' of 250 marks, about one-third of the total marks in second year, an outright violation of examination regulations and conventions. In other words, it would not be an exaggeration to say that an atmosphere prevails at Jahangirnagar that encourages malpractice, the abuse of power, and impunity for those lodged in the networks of power – and, of course, it has powerful supporters.

   Angered at the Syndicate's decision, the students, according to newspaper reports, damaged five university buses and broke the windows of the administrative building. A JUTA statement (17.09.2008), expressing 'relief' at the Syndicate's decision, called upon the university authorities to take 'necessary action' against these students. It also demanded that 'indisciplined' students, who had been disrespectful towards their teachers, should be 'punished'. It advised JU teachers and intellectuals to stop 'conspiring' with the students, to be 'more conscious' in future. It asked the university authorities to take necessary steps to ensure that 'outsiders', out to malign the university's image, should be prevented from entering JU campus. And lastly, it requested the authorities to consider taking 'necessary steps' against JU teachers who support this 'conspiratorial movement'.

   In the meanwhile, leading intellectuals, and this includes Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, an ex-vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, has called upon the university to make public the fact-finding and enquiry committee reports. None of those who have been party to the decision to acquit Sani have made any public appearance. Munni Saha, moderating a recent TV programme on the issue of sexual harassment, said she had invited members of the Syndicate and senior teachers in university administrative posts to take part in the programme, but they had declined. Two Syndicate members, who also happen to be ex-vice chancellors, had 'declined' to talk to journalists as they left the Syndicate.

   I think deep down those who have avoided the public gaze know that their stand is not morally justifiable, that it is ethically wrong. My heart does not bleed for them, for they wield power unjustly, they talk in 'territorial' terms, they are un-concerned about issues of social justice. They are known only by the posts that they hold. Surely they will be discarded in the annals of history.
   My heart bleeds for the students. I want to be counted in their ranks. They are brave, they are courageous. They are the future.