United News of Bangladesh

A senior faculty member of Rajshahi University (RU) was killed and his colleague critically injured in a road accident on Friday morning in Paba upazila of Rajshahi district. Police identified the deceased as Shiv Shankar Roy, 58, a professor in the Marketing Department, while Md Asaduzzaman, a colleague from the Department of Philosophy, sustained critical injuries and is receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. According to officer-in-charge Monirul Islam of Paba Police Station, the accident occurred around 7am near the Ansar Camp on the Naogaon-Rajshahi highway in Nowhata area. “A vehicle collided with the motorcycle on which the two teachers were riding and fled the scene, leaving them critically injured,” he said. Oman road accident kills 8 Bangladeshis, 7 from Swandip Locals rushed to the site and took them to the hospital. But, Prof Shankar succumbed to his injuries before reaching medical care. Prof Asaduzzaman remains unconscious. RU Assistant Proctor Gias Uddin said the teachers were heading to Nowhata for fishing, with Prof Asaduzzaman riding the motorcycle. Prof Shankar, who was the pillion passenger, suffered severe head injuries and is believed to have died instantly. The body of Prof Shankar has been kept at Rajshahi Medical College morgue, and arrangements are underway to send it to his native home in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves through the university community as colleagues, students and authorities have expressed deep sorrow over the untimely death of the veteran academic.

An associate professor of mass communication and journalism at Rajshahi University on Monday took a symbolic class under a campus tree protesting the prolonged Covid-induced closure of educational institutions. Prof. Abdullah Al Mamun took the class on relation between media and power at around 11 am in front of the Rabindranath Tagore academic building of the university. On Friday he declared in a Facebook post to meet the students under a tree from the following week if classrooms don’t open immediately. Also read: RU to hold exams scrapped in 2019, 2020 in-person from this month A total of 15 students from different departments were present in the class maintaining corona hygiene rules. RU Anthropology teacher associate professor Bokhtiar Ahmed and Folklore department associate professor Amirul Islam appeared in the class and delivered speeches. Amirul declared to take classes from next Tuesday saying symbolic classes  seek to send a message to the government to open the educational institutions maintaining hygiene rules immediately. Also read: Rajshahi University BCL locks up VC Abdullah termed the government plan aon the opening the educational institutions illogical.