The teachers of independent Ebtedayee madrasas have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government demanding the nationalisation of their jobs.

Prof Ruhul Amin of the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University (DU) announced the ultimatum on behalf of the protesting teachers during a sit-in programme held at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka on Monday.

Expressing his solidarity with demand, he blamed the administration for using tear gas and sound grenades on the agitating teachers.  

“The practice of using tear gas and sound grenades was buried on 5 August so why did the law enforcers use those,” he said.

The DU teacher said: "The home adviser must clarify within the next 10 hours why the law enforcers used batons on the teachers. Otherwise, Shahbagh Police Station will be besieged, followed by an announcement to block the Secretariat."

The teachers were observing the sit-in programme, a day after police charged batons and used water cannons to disperse them from the street.

Referring to the police attack, Amin asked whether the chief adviser and law and home affairs advisers saw the cruelty. “How can the police behave like this?” he asked.

The teachers have been demonstrating for a long time to press for their six-point demands, including the nationalization of madrasas similar to primary schools.

Recently, they began a sit-in protest in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka over the past several days to meet the same demand.

BDST: 1355 HRS, JAN 27, 2025
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