Bijoy Ekattor Hall authorities in hot potato over seat management

The administration of Bijoy Ekattor Hall at Dhaka University is gradually losing control over seat management, many have alleged.  

In October last year, the hall Chhatra League’s top post aspirants were not allowing at least 150 then first-year students to stay at their seats, allocated by the administration, even after paying money for the legal seats. 

The continuation of making unauthorized barriers persists.

Those students are now staying in the newly functioned ‘Gonoroom’ under the leadership of the newly ‘selected’ President and Secretary Sojibur Rahman Sojib and Abu Younus. 

Seeking anonymity, an inhabitant of those ‘Gonoroom’ said, “The leaders then told the media that the duration will not be more than a month but now it extends over the time.” 

“We are helpless. The administration is collecting money for the pending services but we are afraid of submitting a written complaint with the administration since it remains silent even after knowing the issues,” he said, adding that if the administrative body fails to perform their duties, they should step down simultaneously.   

Visiting the hall, The Report found eight ‘Gonoroom’ along with a massive one. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was only the one gigantic common room’s existence. 

The massive one covers first-year students, and is crammed as the occupancy exceeds the space in this room. The second-year students who were not able to secure their seats after fulfilling all the legal procedures to get a seat are bound to stay at the rest of the ‘Gonorooms’ sharing rooms with a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 16 students. Overall, the accomodation has become claustrophobic for the students. 

Of these eight ‘Gonoroom’, President and Secretary of Ekattor Hall Chhatra League Sojibur Rahman Sojib and Abu Younus have respectively occupied 2 and 6 rooms. 

Besides, around 12 other rooms are occupied by some other leaders of the student wing of the ruling Awami League and named as ‘Political Room’. 

However, the scene was quite different during the previous provost’s period of Dr. Abu Jafar Md. Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan. Then there were only three ‘Political Room’ along with the massive ‘Gonoroom’.

Denying the allegations, Provost of the hall Dr. Abdul Bashir said, “There is no involvement of Chhatra League with the seats allocation process. We, the administration, allocate seats based on student academic attainment and cultural excellence.” 

Sajib said, “Due to misunderstanding the students are getting the wrong information. We were trying to rescue the debating society room, ‘Gonoroom’ for second and third-year students, that’s why we have to shift them to some other rooms.”

“They will get room allotments soon.” 

Abu Younus said, “As part of abolishing ‘Gonoroom’; we have urged students to share their room with their batchmates. That’s why it shows an increase in the number of ‘Gonoroom’ but the scenario is quite different.”

Sajib and Younis simultaneously said that they are working in association with the administration to abolish the ‘Gonorooms’. 

Controversy involving new leaders

In 2019, a hall canteen owner who has been exempted for serving unhygienic food alleged that Sajibur Rahman Sajib then-Vice President (VP) of  Hall Student Union demanded around Tk 4 lakh in association with the Assistant General Secretary of the hall union Nazmul Hasan Nishan.

However, Chhatra League’s top leaders made Sajib President of the hall without scrutinizing the allegations, said one of his rivals, adding that the General Secretary Abu Younus had a vocal presence in several brawls. 

Mentioning the allegation as an attempt of defamation, Sajibur Rahman Sajib said, “We caught him red-handed with rotten meat; as a result, the administration fired him from his duty.” 

After a month of the incident the canteen owner with the influence of the syndicate that supply rotten food at Dhaka University canteens bought the false and fabricated allegation, he added. 

A picture of Abu Younus went viral in the year 2018, which shows he was trying to snatch a bamboo from another leader of his hall. 

However, he explained his role on 21st February of 2018. He said, “I was trying to pull back our students from the scene as mayhem has taken place there. Someone took the picture from a different angle. If someone goes through the video footage, s/he will come up with a clear view.”