Bangladesh Shikkhak Samity on Saturday urged the government to release 13 school teachers who were sent to jail on August 23 on charge of defaming Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a question paper.
The samiti’s Chittagong wing, at a press conference, said that the teachers were victimised by a vested quarter and sent to jail for their unintended mistake.
The samiti’s Chittagong wing’s general secretary Anchal Chowdhury said that the jailed teachers, also local leaders of the samiti, were accused of the sedition case although they had repeatedly sought apology for their unintended mistakes in setting the question paper.
The teacher leaders also warned that they would go for protest programme if the authorities concerned would not release the jailed teachers before the vacation for Eil-Ul-Ajha begins.
On August 23, a Chittagong court sent 13 schoolteachers to jail in the sedition case after the accused teachers had appeared before the court with bail prayers.
On April 12, 2017, after receiving the home ministry’s approval, police filed a case with Banshkhali Police Station accusing the 13 school teachers for their involvement in setting a question paper where a local BNP leader and union parisad chairman was compared with Bangabandhu.
The question was prepared for a course examination on Bangladesh O Bishwa Porichoy for class IX students at Bangabandhu Uccha Bidyalaya.
The matter was public on July 19, 2016, the day the exam was taken.
Assistant Teacher Dukul Barua of Banshkhali Bangabandhu Uccha Bidyalaya was named as the prime accused in the case while the others were members of a committee involved in preparing the question paper, police claimed.