Allegations have been raised against several leaders and activists of various Dhaka University hall units of Bangladesh Chhatra League for being involved in guestroom torture, extortion and many other unscrupulous activities.
Since the new hall committees were declared in February this year, several incidents were reported on the media at regular intervals. At least 20 ‘unwanted’ incidents took place in between those two months.
On March 10, Abu Talib, a residential student of Bangabandhu Hall was tortured for smoking cigarettes in front of a senior. After beating, he was forced to smoke cigarettes without using his hands.
Several names came after the incident. BCL activists Sheikh Shant Alam of the Social Welfare Department, Shahabuddin Islam Bijay of the Information Science and Library Management Department, Imdadul Haque Bandhan of Islam History and Culture Department, and Nahidul Islam Fagun of the Law Department were allegedly involved in the torture. All of them are third-year students and followers of Mehedi Hasan Shanto, president of Bangabandhu Hall Chhatra League.
Rajimul Haque Rakib, a 2016-17 session student of the Accounting and Information Systems Department, was allegedly beaten out of the Salimullah Muslim Hall for expressing his inability to attend a political programme and later a meeting in the ‘guestroom’.
Victim Rakib claimed Salimullah Hall unit BCL president Tanvir Sikder was involved in the incident but latter denied it.
In another incident, Jagannath Hall General Secretary Atanu Barman beat Rakibul Hasan Sajib, a final year student while protesting the reckless driving of Atanu and his followers. Atanu denied his involvement, but he said, ‘his followers and victim had an altercation.’
The allegation was brought against supporters of Sir AF Rahman Hall President Riazul Islam for beating a reporter for publishing a write-up of the same unit’s General Secretary Munem Shariar Moon.
On March 26, a student of Bijay 71 hall was attacked by a group of students. After the incident, the victim filed a written complain with the administration against the BSL activists involved in the attacks. The hall administration investigated the matter and found six students guilty and instantly expelled them from the hall for a lifetime.
Amar Ekushey Hall unit’s top leaders have been accused of closing 7 shops in Anandabazar for not paying extortion money. Shopkeepers said that on March 12 Enayet H Monon and Imdadul Hasan went to their shops along with several activists and demanded money. At one point they ordered to shut down the shops.
Another allegation of extortion was reported at the Aziz Super Market. Two different groups, consisting of 9 students of Bangabandhu hall took clothes from different shops of Aziz Super Market without paying a little amount of money. However, all alleged persons are following Mehedi Hasan Shanto, the President of the Bangabandhu Hall unit.
However, central and university BCL leaders said, the new committees are working for the betterment of students since the formation claiming that those reports are fabricated and motivated to make BCL controversial.
Sanjit Chandra Das, president of the university unit BCL, said, “We didn’t get such complaints but assuring that I will warn those involved with such incidents.”
On the other hand, the university authorities so far took no move against the accused BCL men except in the Bijay 71 hall incident, though the victims filed allegations.
“The administration is working on those incidents in which formal allegations were lodged,” said Proctor AKM Golam Rabbani.
He added that he has been instructed by the concerned authorities to issue a show-cause notice against those who have withdrawn their complaints. He said, “Those students made their complaints to tarnish the university`s reputation.”
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