The Symphony of Our Times

Another group protected him and a scuffle ensued. Interventions by senior teachers brought the situation under temporary control. But the impact of the unprecedented event was far-reaching and long-lasting. The martial law was still in effect. The governor of East Pakistan was Lieutenant General Azam Khan. We came to learn that it was mainly at his behest that a one man judicial commission was instituted to find out the causes and recommend solutions to the problem of teachers-student relationship. The commission was headed by Justice Asir of the Dhaka High Court. It started working in the old East Pakistan Provincial Assembly building (later turned into Jagannath Hall).

As first-year students, we were shocked and saddened by the turn of events. We realised that those of us who were in political science and belonged to the Student Force would face a miserable future if Newman and his supporters had their way even after the judicial enquiry. Our entire academic future could be at stake considering the known inclinations of Professor Newman.

Dhaka University appointed Mr Gani, a noted lawyer as its advocate. Dr Newman was represented by well-known lawyer MH Khandoker. We, the students, especially the members of Students Force, were in a pitiful condition. When the chips were down, we found little solid support from the Students Union and the Student League. They perhaps saw it as a fight between the Student Force and the NSF with the balance tilted in favour of the latter.

Left to tread a lonely path, we had no resources worth mentioning to engage our full-time lawyer. Our senior leaders were of help only to a limited extend. It was left mainly to a few of us who were junior such as Mia Mohammad Nuruzzaman and Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser to fend for the students in the Newman case. Consultations with the elders encouraged us to seek help from lawyers who were political leaders mostly of the Awami League camp.

On hearing of our plight such reputed advocates as Ataur Rahman Khan (in 1956 the chief minister of East Pakistan and in 1980s the prime minister of Bangladesh), Zahir Uddin, sometime central minister of Pakistan and Abdur Rahman, former jute minister of East Pakistan and others rendered honorary services as our lawyers in the Asir commission.
It became almost a daily duty for us to attend sessions of the commission. The sessions were held in camera but a restricted number of interested and involved persons were allowed entry. Although we were anxious and tense thinking of our studies and academic future, should the findings go against us, we in many ways enjoyed the lively and witty exchanges among the bench, the lawyer and the witnesses.

The proceedings were in English. It sometimes felt funny that Bengali judge, Bengali lawyers and witnesses spoke with one another in English with an accent. When the person in the witness box such as Madhu Da, owner of Madhu's Canteen could not speak English, an interpreter did the work of translation. I remember one day during Madhu Da's interrogations, Justice Asir asked him, 'Who is the student who waste most of his time in your canteen?' Without hesitation, Madhu Da replied, 'Dr Johnson'.

Justice Asir was amazed. He observed, 'Do you mean that an Englishman with PhD sits for hours gossiping in your canteen?' The lawyer for the university was quick to intervene. He said, 'Milord, he means Khan Md Shamsur Rahman, a member of the CSP and brilliant student of his time whom his friends admiring his erudition called Dr Johnson'.

Mr Justice Asir immediately said to Madhu Da that he wanted to know about the students of present times who spent most of their hours chatting in the canteen. Madhu Da looked around the room, fixed his gaze on me and said unhesitatingly, 'Mr Shelley, he is sitting there'. Justice Asir looked hard and long at me without any comment. I felt like Seeta in the Ramayana asking Mother Earth to part so that I could hide myself underground.
The Asir Commission had very broad terms of reference. It was entrusted to find out not the cause of the Newman incident only but also the roots of various troubles of Dhaka University.

Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelley, founder Chairman of Centre for Development Research (CDRB), and former technocrat Cabinet Minister of Bangladesh, died on August 12 last. He contributed his writeups to the Daily Observer which are being published regularly as "The Symphony of Our Times".