Jahangirnagar University students bring out a torch procession, protesting against the recent incident of rape, on the campus at Savar in Dhaka on Thursday. — New Age photo
With the latest arrest of one of the key suspects of the rape incident on the Jahangirnagar University campus, it has been further revealed that a group of former students were running a racket selling drugs at the JU halls.
Mamunur Rashid, one of the masterminds in the February 3 rape incident arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion on Wednesday, with his associates brought women to the campus and raped them. But the victimised women did not brave the gang’s wrath to bring complaint against them. Such incidents were frequent on the campus, according to the RAB.
A series of protests continued to rock the campus for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday, demanding capital punishment for the perpetrators, resignation of the JU proctor and provost of Mir Mosharraf Hossain hall for their alleged negligence in preventing such crimes.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee of the University Grants Commission on Thursday morning visited JU.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, RAB nabbed Mamunur Rashid and Murad Hasan, another accused, from separate hideouts.
With the latest two arrests, all the six accused in the police case, filed on February 4, have been arrested.
On the night of February 3, the JU unit BCL international affairs secretary and former JU student Mustafizur Rahman and his associate Mamunur allegedly raped a woman tying up her husband in a dormitory room.
At a press briefing on Thursday, RAB legal and media wing director Khandaker Al Moin said that the gang used to smuggle about 7,000–8,000 pieces of Yaba pills every month into the campus, selling the drug to JU students and others from the adjacent area.
‘Mamunur has been peddling drugs in this university since 2017. He brought it from Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar, hiding the substance inside things like shoes and power banks of mobile phones,’ the officer said.
‘Mir Mosharraf Hossain hall, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman hall and Battola area on the campus were the main hotspots of the racket to reach their clients,’ he said.
Some former JU students were using Room Number 317 of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall to shelter outsider substance abusers and suppliers like Mamunur. They also used the room to consume the substance, the official added.
Saying that Mustafizur was the kingpin of the drug racket active at JU, Khandaker Al Moin mentioned that Mustafizur asked Mamunur to bring a woman on the campus on February 3.
The RAB officer said that the arrested admitted during the interrogation that Mamunur had duped the couple into visiting the campus late at night of February 3.
On the day, Mamunur possessed about 2,100 pieces of Yaba pills which he gave to Mustafizur to sell on the campus.
Referring to Mamunur’s claims made during the interrogation, the RAB said, ‘The survivor’s husband worked for Mamunur as a drug distributor in Ashulia. To avoid arrest he recently moved to another area.’
Saying that law enforcement agencies are carrying out regular surveillance, Khandaker Al Moin added, ‘We are always active to catch them, but JU administration also cannot escape responsibility for letting the students become drug abusers.’
He also held the administration liable for the latest rape as similar crimes occurred on the campus ‘several’ times.
A series of protests, including human chains, processions, doing anti-rape graffiti, leaflet distribution and pasting of posters continued on the campus on Thursday.
‘The university halls have turned into safe havens for several hundred non-student BCL men. All their crimes of extortion, rape and ragging have been given total impunity by the administration,’ Professor Aniccha Parvin Jolly said.
The three-member UGC probe committee met the JU administration.
Committee convener Jaminur Rahman told reporters, ‘We have collected information about measures taken by the JU administration over the rape incident and their alleged failure to remove non-students from halls.’
Having declined to comment about their findings, he said that they would submit a report to the UGC soon.
UGC chairman (additional duty) professor Muhammed Alamgir told New Age on Thursday, ‘JU authorities have failed to take effective measures against sexual harassment and different crimes.’
‘It is also necessary to look into how JU is admitting students without ensuring their residential facilities and how non-students are staying inside the campus day after day,’ he added.
Denying any negligence, JU vice-chancellor Nurul Alam told New Age that drives are underway to remove the non-students from the halls and also the campus security is being tightened.
Accused Mamunur, Mustafizur, Murad, and their three associates, Mostafa Monwar Siddiki, Sabbir Ahmed, and Hasanuzzaman, who helped the alleged rapists flee the campus, are now on remand in police custody in a case filed with the Ashulia police.
New Age