Dhaka University pro-Awami League teachers organization protests ban demand and new disciplinary committee

The pro-Awami League faculty association at Dhaka University, known as the “Blue Team,” has formally denounced recent calls for its dissolution, labeling the demand as an act of political retribution. The organization issued a protest statement on Saturday, signed by acting convener Professor Zinat Huda, arguing that efforts to ban the group and the subsequent formation of a university inquiry committee are calculated attempts to destabilize the campus environment.

The conflict stems from a July 27 memorandum submitted to the vice-chancellor by the “White Team,” a faculty association aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). In that petition, the White Team accused the Blue Team of siding against students during the recent mass uprising, fostering fascism, and presiding over 17 years of systemic oppression against dissenting faculty and students.

In response, the Blue Team categorically denied these allegations, describing the misinformation regarding their role in the quota reform movement as a pretext for political victimization. They characterized the administration’s decision to establish a four-member committee—comprising the vice-chancellor, two pro-vice-chancellors, and the White Team convener—to investigate and potentially penalize 231 teachers and numerous staff members as an “autodestructive” measure.

The association warned that this committee could set a dangerous precedent, threatening the professional security and freedom of expression for all faculty members, regardless of their political affiliation. According to the Blue Team, the history of Dhaka University is defined by the coexistence of various ideological groups, a tradition protected by the Dhaka University Order of 1973, which enshrines the right of teachers to organize according to their political beliefs.

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The organization further alleged that the campus has been marred by a two-year pattern of administrative harassment, including academic sanctions and punitive investigations aimed at suppressing dissenting voices. They cautioned that such practices pose a grave threat to higher education, arguing that the university administration has a responsibility to uphold institutional autonomy and judicial fairness rather than succumbing to what they termed a “mob culture.”

Concluding their statement, the Blue Team declared that the faculty community would not tolerate the use of intimidation or retaliatory termination as a means of governance. They urged the administration to prioritize academic integrity and intellectual freedom over the pursuit of political agendas.