A Sylhet court on Tuesday sentenced prime  accused Faizul Hasan to life imprisonment in a case over attempting to kill renowned writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal on Shahajalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in 2018. Another accused in the case, Faizul’s friend Md Shohag Mia was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment and four others were acquitted. Those acquitted are Faizul’s father Atiqur Rahman, mother Minara Begum, brother Enamul Hasan, maternal uncle Md Fazlul Haque . Anti-Terrorism Special tribunal judge Nurul Amin handed down the judgment. Also read: Attack on Zafar Iqbal: Recording statements of witnesses ends On March 22, the court fixed Tuesday for delivering the judgment after hearing the arguments from both sides. On March 10, recording of testimonies in the sensational case was completed by recording statements of 35 of the 56 witnesses, said PP Mominur Rahman. All of them are currently in jail, he said. On March 3, 2018, Faizul swooped on Prof Zafar Iqbal and stabbed him with a knife at the SUST Mukta Mancha during a celebration programme, 'Robofight,' of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department. Also read: Couldn’t believe a teacher got arrested for giving rational answer in class: Zafar Iqbal SUST registrar Ishfaqul Hossain filed a case with Jalalabad police the following day. On March 8, a court placed Faizul on a 10-day remand for interrogation. Later Faizul gave confessional statement before court. On July 26, police pressed charges against six people, including Faizul and Atiqur, in connection with the attack. On October 4, 2018, the trial in the case began by framing charges against the accused.

Eminent writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said he couldn’t believe the arrest of science teacher Hriday Mondol in Munshiganj for answering a question raised in the classroom logically. The former professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) said this in a human chain rally held in front of National Museum around 5 pm on Saturday protesting the arrest of Hriday Mondol. Demanding the release of Hriday Mondol, he said, “I couldn’t believe that a teacher has been arrested by the government for giving the most rational answer to a question of his student.” Also read: Amnesty demands immediate release of school teacher Hriday Nipironer Biruddhe Shahabag, a human rights organisation, formed the human chain protesting arrest of Hriday Chandra Mondol, a science teacher who was arrested on charges of “hurting religious sentiment” after he discussed in the classroom the distinction between religion and science Dr Zafar Iqbal said, "We have to teach our children science with utmost care for the sake of the development of our country because development is impossible without science. Science teacher Hriday Mondol has been made the scapegoat of communal people for doing his duty of teaching science."

A Sylhet court on Thursday completed recording  of statements of the witnesses in a case filed over the attack on renowned writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal on Shahajalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in 2018. Anti-Terrorism Special tribunal judge Nurul Amin recorded the statement of last witness in the case Dr MA Mamun, a physician of MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. The court has recorded statement of 35 witnesses among 56 and fixed March 21 for the next hearing in this case, said Public Prosecutor Muminur Rahman Titu. On March 3, 2018,  a youth named Faizul swooped on Prof Zafar Iqbal and stabbed him with a knife at the SUST Mukta Mancha during a celebration programme, 'Robofight,' of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department. SUST registrar Ishfaqul Hossain filed a case was with Jalalabad Police Station the following day. On March 8, a court placed Faizul on a 10-day remand for interrogation. Later Faizul gave confessional statement before court. Also read: Attempt to eliminate Bangabandhu’s name in post-1975 world's biggest crime: Zafar Iqbal On July 26, police pressed charges against six people, including Faizul and Atiqur, in connection with the attack. On October 4,2018, official trial in the case began by framing charges against the accused. The other charge-sheeted accused are Faizul's mother Minara Begum, brother Enamul Hasan, maternal uncle Md Fazlul Haque and friend Sohagh Miah. Also read: Attack on Zafar Iqbal: Faizul’s father gets bail

Eminent writer and former professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Md Zafar Iqbal has expressed annoyance over the role of the university teachers during the police attack on protesting students. "It’s very discouraging when police attacked the students, the teachers didn’t come forward…they should’ve come forward to save them. Not a single teacher did it. There’s no reason for a teacher to be so spineless," Zafar Iqbal said. He said this while talking to reporters after the students broke their hunger on Wednesday. Addressing the protesting students, he said, "The young generation of Bangladesh is behind you. All people are behind you. Get well soon. Set an example. Other universities in Bangladesh will learn from the example." Regarding the demand for removal of VC Farid Uddin, he said, "The government has said they’ll accept the demands and the demands include VC’s removal." But the government also has its own technical issues, political issues, for which they may follow a process, he said, adding the government removed the VC of Gopalganj in one way and removed another VC in another way. "So it’s their business. My primary concern was whether I could get the students out of the hunger strike." READ: SUST students end hunger strike In response to a question whether outsiders had been fueling the movement, Zafar Iqbal said, "I have seen they’re ordinary students. There’s no other ambition in them. Police attacked them so ruthlessly. So, there’s resentment in their minds. That’s why they’re carrying out this movement. Their demand is 100% logical." Zafar Iqbal said, "When I retired three years ago, I wrote a letter to the VC. In the letter, I said a lot of things. I wrote there clearly that if you don’t do this, the anger that the students have now will burst into protests. My words have come true." Around 10.20am on Wednesday, the students broke their fast after former SUST Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal gave them water to drink. The eminent writer and his wife Yasmeen Huq, also a former SUST teacher, came to the university in Sylhet from Dhaka around 4am and met the protesting students. The students embarked on fast-unto-death on the university campus on January 19, demanding the resignation of SUST Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed over police crackdown on their fellows. Three days later, three more students joined their fellows in the hunger strike. The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets. On the other hand, police filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students. The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.  Zafrin Ahmed, a provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints. She later resigned from her post, citing health issues. READ: Administration moves to shut down SUST protest: 5 alumni booked for financially backing movement   Provost Zafrin's removal was one of the initial demands of the students protesting on the campus. But it has now spread to the general students as well.

Children will be more interested  towards exploring the life of Bangabandhu owing to the Graphic Novel Mujib and his childhood stories will be intriguing to them, said eminent litterateur and educationist Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.

The 13th edition of the International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh began on Friday at Shawkat Osman Auditorium of the Public Library with the slogan 'Future in Frames'.