DU withdraws Isha’s expulsion on mysterious probe!
The Dhaka University authorities on Wednesday withdrew the expulsion of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall unit president of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Iffat Jahan Isha.
BCL is the student wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League.
The university authorities have also decided to take disciplinary action against 26 female students of the hall over the 11 April incident during which Isha allegedly assaulted some of her fellow students and for which the authorities itself had expelled her.
DU authorities have claimed that they took the decision based on a probe body report, but they neither disclosed the report nor disclosed the name of probe body members.
DU proctor AKM Golam Rabbani said the decision was taken in a disciplinary board meeting with vice chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman in the chair on Wednesday.
Rabbani claimed that a five-member probe body was formed to investigate the attack on female students at the female dormitory on early 11 April, but the probe body found untrue the allegation of cutting tendon of a student.
“The allegation against Isha was that she had cut tendon of a leg of a student, but the hall administration found no veracity of the allegation and that’s why her expulsion order has been withdrawn,” Rabbani told Prothom Alo.
When asked about who were the members of the probe body, Rabbani did not give the answer and asked to know it from the hall provost.
The hall provost, Sabita Rezwana Rahman, also said a five-strong body investigated the matter, but did not reveal the name of its members.
Several students of the hall have expressed their concern over the decision of the authorities. They said Iffat has been involved in torturing students for quite a long time. She harassed some students in the small hours of 11 April for participating in quota reform movement, stirring a huge protest by several hundreds of students in and outside the hall.
They also alleged that the university authorities are not considering other allegations of torturing the students against Iffat.
Students said even if the allegation of cutting tendon of a student is not true, there are several other allegations of torturing quota protesters, but the university authorities did not take it into account.
Students in a meeting with provost on 12 April also raised different allegations against Isha of torturing general students.
But no one from the DU authorities clarifies their position on the matter. They are also keeping mum about the committee’s stance over these allegations against Iffat. DU authorities also did not confirm the identity of the 26 students, against whom they have decided to take disciplinary action.
Announcing his decision of expulsion on 11 April, DU VC Md Akhtaruzzaman had told newsmen, “She [Morsheda] was tortured physically. She was injured. And I verified the allegation from both sides. University proctor and the hall administration too gave me the same statement.
“Then I took the decision. As this girl [Isha] has assaulted and injured another girl, she [Isha] is hereby expelled from the university,” the DU VC had added.
DU proctor Golam Rabbani also had told newsmen on the day that it’s Isha who had “launched the attack”.
“The name of the student who launched the attack is Iffat Jahan Isha. I’ve heard it from herself and she herself beg pardon for that. And then I’ve understood that this crime has taken place here,” Rabbani had said.