DU Teachers' Assoc chief apologises for 'mistakenly' paying tribute to Mushtaque

Facing public backlash, Dhaka University Teachers' Association President Prof Md Rahmat Ullah has apologised for 'inadvertently' paying tribute to Khandaker Mushtaque Ahmad during an event marking the historic Mujibnagar Day, reports bdnews24.com.

"If I've unknowingly said any [offensive] words or sentences during my speech in yesterday's discussion, it was an unintended mistake. I sincerely apologise for it," he said at a media briefing on Monday.

He called on adherents of the spirit of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu's ideology to ensure that his words are not used to create misunderstandings among pro-liberation forces.

On Sunday, the DU authorities organised a discussion on Mujibnagar Day at the Teachers' Students' Centre (TSC). During his speech, Rahmat Ullah appeared to pay homage to Khandaker Mushtaque.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Samad immediately objected to Rahmat Ullah's statement and demanded that it be retracted. Later, DU Vice-Chancellor Akhtaruzzaman expunged that part of the statement.

Rahmat Ullah, however, claimed that he had just mentioned the names of those holding office in different ministries of the Mujibnagar government and never paid respect to Mushtaque specifically.

He also vowed to apologise if the recorded speech proved that he had made a mistake.

In his written statement, Rahmat Ullah said he is a supporter of the Liberation War who has been working to uphold the spirit of Bangladesh's independence struggle to serve the interests of the nation.