Dhaka: Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Wednesday ordered stern police action against attackers on the newly appointed principal of BM College in Barisal.

"He called the IGP (inspector general of police) and asked him to immediately expose to justice the 'terrorist attackers'," an education ministry spokesman told BSS.

He said the report of attacks on Professor Shankar Chandra Dutt allegedly by "so-called pro-government student activists" severely angered the minister and prompted him to pick up the phone to issue the directive upon the police chief.

"In don't want to understand which politics they belong to.. . they are terrorists and so put them behind bars immediately," the spokesman quoted the minister as telling police chief Hassan Mahmud Khandakar by phone.

His comments came as reports said Dutt was chased, manhandled and humiliatingly driven out of the campus by "a rowdy band of student activists" yesterday afternoon as he went to the premier college of the southwestern region to join as its new principal.

Police commissioner of Barisal city Mohammad Shamsuzzaman told BSS that four of the assaulters whose picture appeared in newspapers were arrested and sent to jail under a court order to face several charges like "assaulting a government official" and "creating obstruction in government works".

Earlier reports said the activists preferred the outgoing principal to stay back but he said he already handed over charge to the vice principal on receipt of the government order for his transfer.

Ends/AMA/13/02/13