Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi has announced his voluntary resignation from the post of Director General of Hathazari Madrasa in Chattogram.
Allama Shafi announced his decision at a shura meeting at the Madrasa Majlis on Thursday (September 17) night. After the meeting, several members of the council informed Barta24.com about the decision.
The members of the Shura accepted the resignation of Allama Shafi at the meeting and honored him by appointing him as Muhtamim (Adviser) in the Sadar. The Shura Committee will appoint Muhtamim at the next meeting. At the meeting, the decision to expel Maulana Anas Madani was upheld and Maulana Nurul Islam of Cox's Bazar was released from the madrasa.
Shura members Maulana Noman Faizi, Maulana Salauddin Nanupuri, veteran Alem Maulana Muhibullah Babungari of Chittagong, Education Secretary of Hathazari Madrasa Mufti Noor Ahmed, Maulana Kabir Ahmed, Maulana Didar Ahmed and other senior teachers were present at the meeting.
After the meeting, Maulana Noman Faizi informed about the decision taken with the microphone of the mosque. Others were also present at the time.
Students of Hathazari Madrasa started protesting from noon on Wednesday (September 16) demanding several things. They locked all the gates of the madrasa. The rooms of some teachers including Maulana Anas Madani were vandalized.
The students distributed various leaflets during the protest inside the madrasa. There they first demanded the release of Maulana Anas from the madrasa. Other demands include reinstatement of three teachers fired by Anas, retrenchment of all incompetent teachers appointed by Anas, and an end to harassment of students. Allama Ahmad Shafi was removed from the post of Director General due to old age and made an advisor.
Allama Shafi called a meeting of the emergency shura committee on Wednesday night at one stage of the students' protest. The meeting ended at 10:30 pm.
After the meeting, Shura committee member Maulana Noman Fayezi told the students that the meeting, chaired by Allama Ahmad Shafi, had decided to release Anas. Students will not be harassed. The rest of the decision will be taken at the Madrasa Shura meeting on Saturday. Then the students calmed down.
Maulana Anas is the education affairs secretary of Hathazari Madrasa, the director general of the madrasa and the son of Amir Shah Ahmad Shafi of Hefazat-e-Islam. Hefazat Islam is also the publicity secretary of Bangladesh.
From the beginning of the protest, when the students locked the main gate of the madrasa, the members of RAB and police took position in front of the gate outside the madrasa for fear of deteriorating law and order.
The madrasa was also under the control of students on Thursday. All the gates of the madrasa were locked and classes were closed.