‘Right-wing religious activists attacked ex-JU VC Anwar on Aug 5’

Former Vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, M Anwar Hossain was attacked on August 5 near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the day Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position as prime minister amid massive student protests.
In a press release issued today, Ayesha Hossain, the ex-VC’s wife, demanded protection from the interim government, saying that the attack was carried out by right-wing religious activists around 4:00pm.
According to the press release, Prof Anwar had been highly critical of the government’s indiscriminate attacks on students, which led to the loss of hundreds of innocent lives. This stance had made him a target.
Describing the attack, Ayesha said, “On Monday afternoon, my son decided to go to Shahbagh, where students had gathered, to join his friends and colleagues. We decided to join him. My husband wanted to witness the unprecedented mass uprising of the students.”
As they reached the airport, an unknown man, around 40 years old, approached Prof Anwar and began shouting, “I have recognised you. You’re the professor who was against Jamaat [Jamaat-e-Islami] at the tribunal [International Crimes Tribunal]. We saw you on television.”
The man attempted to drag Prof Anwar down a narrow lane opposite the airport, but family members intervened. Almost immediately, three or four more people surrounded them, chanting the “Naara-e-Takbeer” slogan.
One of them threatened, “You spoke against Jamaat. We’re going to slit your throat.” They attacked him with various objects, shouting, “Hit him on his head. Kill him.”
The attack continued for several minutes, during which Ayesha, her son, and her daughter-in-law shielded Prof Anwar with their bodies, sustaining injuries themselves.
Eventually, they managed to drag him across Airport Road towards an army barricade with the help of two civilians. He received emergency treatment after entering the airport premises.
Ayesha Hossain expressed concern over the lawlessness and anarchy engulfing Bangladesh in the absence of a stable government. She said that vested interests, including far-right militant extremists, have taken advantage of the chaos to unleash indiscriminate, targeted attacks on religious minorities, individuals opposing religious extremism, and symbols of the Liberation War.
She also termed the destruction of murals commemorating Bir Sreshtho Freedom Fighters, the statue of Themis at the Supreme Court, and Rabindranath Tagore, as well as the arson attack on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at Dhanmondi 32, as ominous signs for the future.
In the press release, she said, “We waited to release this statement until the formation of the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, with the hope that it shall now take immediate steps to protect my husband and my family from further attacks.”
Ayesha also urged the government to ensure the safety, security, and human rights of all who have been attacked and remain at risk, saying “Too many people have sacrificed their lives in recent weeks. We demand justice for all.”
M Anwar Hossain, a retired UGC Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dhaka University. He was also the vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University from 2012-2014.