Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists on Monday night created a reign of terror in a Dhaka University dormitory, Bijoy Ekattor Hall, centring on allocating dormitory’s room among its activists.
The BCL, student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, went on the rampage between the midnight past Monday and 4:30am early Tuesday.
The BCL activists vandalised provost’s office, chased residential teachers at the dormitory and also beat a journalist during the rampage.
Witnesses said the hall administration allotted seats among the students as per the university rules after its inauguration, but the student wing of the ruling AL failed to control over the residence’s recruitment system due to the administration’s ironclad regulation for the particular student residence.
According to the dormitory students, the university BCL leaders forced the students of northern block of the dormitory to share seats with 1 or 2 of its activists each room which is illegal.
On information residential teachers rushed to the hall Monday night and tried calm down the situation, but they were on the contrary chased by the BCL activists.
Witnesses said they chased a residential teacher branding him as ‘Shibir activist’.
Later, hall provost professor AJM Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan went to the dormitory around 12:15am and tried to bring the situation under control.
When the provost entered the office room, a group of BCL activists, led by Bijoy Ekattor Hall president Fakir Rassel Ahmed and general secretary Nayon Haoladar brought out a ‘protest’ rally and vandalised the provost office.
The university proctor, M Amjad Ali, and BCL Dhaka University president Abid Al Hassan then went to the provost office and talked to Bijoy Ekattor Hall BCL leaders.
At about 4:30am, the BCL activists also beat news agency UNB’s university correspondent Imran Hossain, who is also a university student and a resident of room 5003 of the dormitory.
Witnesses said Imran was beaten when he opposed BCL leaders’ order to share seats of his room with BCL activists.
Bijoy Ekattor Hall’s BCL president Fakir Rassel Ahmed and general secretary Nayon claimed that they had nothing to do with the incident as students, who were deprived of seats, forcefully entered the residence.
DU Chhatra League president Abid Al Hassan said those who were involved in the incident will be punished.
Provost Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan said an investigation committee will be formed. Offenders will be brought to book, he added.
Source: Prothom Alo
