DU to observe ‘Black Day’ today
Dhaka University (DU) will observe ‘Black Day’ today, commemorating the crackdown on its students and teachers during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007.
The university administration has arranged a series of programmes, with students, teachers and staff members expected to wear black badges throughout the day in remembrance and protest. The central programme will be a discussion meeting at 11:00am at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) auditorium, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Dr Abdus Salam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Mohammad Almojaddidi Alfesani and Treasurer Professor Dr M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury will attend the programme.
The observance recalls events that began on 20 August 2007, when a dispute between students and military personnel broke out during a football match at the university gymnasium, where a temporary army camp had been stationed.
The subsequent assault on students triggered protests across the campus. By August 21, students were demanding the withdrawal of the army camp and an apology.
The authorities responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and batons, leaving hundreds of students injured. The unrest subsequently spread to other major universities, including Rajshahi, Jahangirnagar and Chittagong universities.
On the night of 23 August 2007, several prominent academics, including Professor Dr Anwar Hossain and Professor Dr Harun-or-Rashid, were arrested. They were allegedly subjected to torture while in custody.
An indefinite curfew was also imposed in six divisional cities, while residential halls were forcibly vacated.
The protests eventually led to the release of the detainees and removal of the army camp in early 2008.
The 2007 events remain a contested chapter in Bangladesh’s political history.
The then-Law and Information Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein described the protests as a “political game”, alleging that students were being used as “pawns” by outside interests and that “huge money” had been pumped into the campus to escalate the agitation.
Dhaka University, however, has continued to remember the episode as an assault on academic freedom and a significant moment in the struggle for democratic rights.
The annual Black Day observance is intended to honour those who suffered during the 2007 events and preserve the university’s institutional memory of the crackdown.
