BCL men assault female student, friend on DU campus

Dhaka University Mall Chattar area. Photo: Collected from the Facebook.
Dhaka University Mall Chattar area. Photo: Collected from the Facebook.

Activists of ruling Awami League-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) roughed up two Dhaka University students on campus.

A third-year female student of the university was one of the two who were assaulted. She fell victim when she treid to stop the attackers at the Mall Chattar near the Arts Building  on Saturday afternoon, according to witnesses.

The two students were beaten up once again when they went to a nearby dormitory of Surja Sen Hall to identify the attackers.

When the BCL men allegedly assaulted the female student, her toe nails were badly ripped too.

Witnesses said the two students were standing at the Mall Chattar holding hands and waiting for a rickshaw. About a dozen BCL activists of Surja Sen Hall encircled them and asked their identity. They showed their identity cards.

When the boy wanted to know why they were asking about their identity, the BCL activists started beating him up. The girl tried to save her friend but to no avail. Rather, witnesses said, she herself was attacked.

Talking to newsmen, the boy said the attackers returned to Surja Sen Hall after assaulting them. They followed the attackers and went to the dormitory where three to four students beat them up with cricket stumps and sticks for the second time.

“We want to know why we are beaten up on our own campus. We are both third year students. The first year students beat us up without any cause. Where is the security in our campus?” the injured girl asked, speaking to journalists.

Despite being beaten up, the victims remained in the guest room of the hall. The boy complained to the proctor and the hall provost over phone.

He alleged that the university proctor, AKM Golam Rabbani, asked them to leave the hall.

The proctor said a girl student called him over phone around 9:30pm but he advised her to inform the authorities of her own dormitory.

The proctor said he himself apprised the Suja Sen Hall provost of the matter. He sent a car of the proctorial body to help the two students.

Hall provost ASM Maksud Kamal reached the hall guest room at 9:45pm. He asked the victims to complain in writing. He said he arranged their treatment and helped them reach their respective dormitories.

BCL Surja Sen Hall unit president Golam Sarwar said the the two students were asked their identity as they were in an 'objectionable condition'.

The BCL leader said the boy  identified himself as a member of BCL Zia hall unit. He claimed that an incident took place following an altercation with the student.

Surja Sen Hall provost Maksud Kamal said the guilty persons were being identified with the help of the footage of closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.

A three-member committee headed by resident teacher Md Tarique Ziaur Rahman was formed to investigate the incident.