Staff Correspondent

Dhaka University teachers at a function on Sunday said they had found their voices in the prison diaries of Dr Anwar Hossain in which he recorded everyday events in prison during his 130 days of detention following the student protests at Dhaka University in August, 2007.

The prison diaries published in the form of two books — Remand O Karagarer Dinguli [diaries of my days in jail and remand] and CMM Court-e Jabanbandi [Testimony at the CMM Court] — were launched at a function at Dhaka University Teachers-Students Centre.

Chaired by Mustafa Noor-ul-Islam, the book launch was also addressed, among others, by AAMS Arefin Siddique, Muntassir Mamun, Selina Hossain, MM Akash, Muhammad Samad and publisher Osman Gani. Mustassir Mamun said, 'Anwar has spoken the truth in his books.

It reflects his courage. He has clearly mentioned who are responsible for the people's miseries in past 30 years.' Selina Hossain said that expressing solidarity with resistance had been a glorious history of Dhaka University since 1947 and this time too the university upheld the tradition.

MM Akash said the military intelligence had done a mistake by considering the university teachers as their enemy. 'The teachers just stood by the students under attack and they did nothing wrong by doing so', he said. 'We have won just one battle and we have to win a war ahead,' he said.

Arefin Siddique said that there was a practice that any unexpected incidents at Dhaka University were investigated by the university authorities themselves but this time they did not form any committee to probe the student unrest. 'By speaking the truth Anwar has done the work of a brave intellectual as defined by Alexander Solzhenitsyn', he said.

In response, Anwar said, 'We teach here and express our minds freely. We stood by our students in distress. We did nothing wrong.' He reminded the politicians that it was their responsibility to stand by the people in distress. 'Although they [politicians] are passing bad times, I expect they would do their duties and stand by the people', he said.

'I have recorded in the books my experiences in remand. But there are good elements in the bulwark of reaction. We have nothing to be afraid of. Courage spreads and it forms a circle around a dot and I have tried to spread that courage by speaking the truth,' he added.

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