A Dhaka court on Wednesday ordered police to drop charges against the last seven students of Dhaka University over torching a military vehicle during the August 2007 campus unrest.

The latest order means all the cases filed in connection with the student unrest during the caretaker government have been withdrawn.

Judge Mohammad Ali Hossain of Dhaka's First Additional Chief Magistrate's Court delivered the order, additional public prosecutor (PP) Saiful Islam Helal told bdnews24.com.

PP of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court Abdullah Abu filed the petition for dropping the charges on Tuesday.

The case, filed with Shahbagh Police Station, accuses 25 university students of burning an army vehicle and assaults in front of Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh in the violent clashes that erupted over the demand for withdrawal of an army camp from the campus.

On Aug 20, some army persons had altercation with some Dhaka University students at the university's play ground during a football game over a trifle matter. The army men then beat up the students.

As the news spread, the students took to the streets and assaulted some senior army officers. The angry students burnt one army vehicle on the campus. Violence erupted across the country in protest.

The troops arrested many university teachers in Dhaka and Rajshahi on charges of instigating the violence against the army.

The emergency government imposed curfew across the country and troops assaulted hundreds of innocent people including students and journalists.

In the face of strong movement, the government pardoned the teachers and students and withdrew army camps from the university campus.

Two senior DU professors Md Anwar Hossain and Harun-ur-Rashid were arrested on Aug 23, 2007, following violent clashes.

The DUTA president Sadrul Amin, Prof Nimchandra Bhowmik and a number of students were arrested in following days.

Police pressed the charges on Jan 7, 2008. The case went on trial in September 2008 with the testimony of sub-inspector Mohammed Jamal Uddin, the complainant.

The government on Jan 22 dropped charges against 18 including the president of Bangladesh Students' Union, DU unit, but ordered continuation of the case against the seven.

A court had issued arrest warrants on Dec 13 against four Dhaka University students for involvement in unrest on campus during the last army-installed interim authority, Dhaka University students and teachers in Aug demanded the withdrawal of all cases filed against their fellows by the elected government.

A Dhaka court cleared three Dhaka University teachers of all charges linked to the campus unrest.

President Iajuddin Ahmed had issued special pardons for the three immediately after the convictions, in January last year, but the convictions themselves were not cancelled at the time.

Source: bdnews24.com

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