Students accused in five more cases

Five more cases have been filed against students centering different programmes held during the quota reform movement. Among them, the police have registered a case specifically mentioning the names of 20 students of the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. In another case, the names of 15 students of Rajshahi University and their department have been mentioned in the list of accused.

Apart from this, two separate cases have been filed against unidentified students of the private university Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) with the Rupnagar police station in the capital for allegedly beating and injuring the police and obstructing police from their official duty. Some 1,000 to 1,500 people, including unnamed students, have been made accused in two other cases.

The plaintiff in one of these cases is the police. The plaintiff in another case referred to himself as an “active member” of Dhaka north city Jubo League. Meanwhile, another case has been filed at the Ashulia police station in Dhaka. Police filed this case.

Apart from these five cases, a total of 11 cases have been filed with the Shahbagh police station accusing unidentified protesters centering different programmes held during the quota reform movement.

Nine of these cases were lodged by the police and two Chhatra League leaders are the plaintiffs in two cases. These cases were filed between 12 July and 21 July.

Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone regarding the cases filed with names of students in the list of the accused, law minister Anisul Huq said, “None of the common students will be made accused or be harassed for involvement in the movement. Cases will be filed only against those who were involved in vandalising government installations.”

Earlier, while speaking to newspersons on Tuesday, he said the government would definitely consider if the students provide them information of the cases filed against them. The government would ensure security and safety of the students to restore a congenial environment for education.

Some of the ministers of the government even said that the students were not involved in arson, violence and vandalism that erupted centering the quota reform movement. They have been blaming the BNP and Jamaat activists for violent activities.

When his attention was drawn to the remarks made by some of the ministers of the government, the law minister said, “Several major government installations were vandalised in a militant style. Cases will be filed against the people involved in these. Nobody is above the law. But, I am saying again that no legal action will be taken against the students who took part in the peaceful movement.”

According to the statement of the case filed with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, the protesting students blocked the road in front of gate-2 of the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University on 11 July, demanding reform of the quota system. As the police intervened to control the situation after receiving the news, the students started hurling brickbats at the policemen. Two police officials were critically injured and several other police members sustained minor injuries. At one point, the protesters dispersed when the police chased them.

Among the accused in this case filed on 21 July are – second year students of the agricultural department Touhid Ahmed, Ahmedul Kabir, Md Raihan, Sourav, Shahriar, Mohaiminul, Ahsan Habib, Anas, Sagor, Imran, Ahsan Habib, Wasiul Islam, Muzahidul Islam, Altaf, Selim Reza, Nuru Islam and Asif and agro forestry and environmental science department students Shakib and Mridul.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station sub-inspector (SI) Aktaruzzaman filed the case as the plaintiff on 23 July. He said none of the accused in the case has been arrested.

Touhid Ahmed, who has been named among the accused in the case, is the coordinator of ‘anti-discriminatory student movement’ in the university. This correspondent tried to reach him over the phone several times for his comment regarding the case. However, his phone was switched off.

A case has been filed over vandalising the rooms of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists and setting fire to their motorcycles on Rajshahi University campus. A total of 20 people, including 15 RU students, have been made accused in this case. University BCL organising secretary Kaiyum Mia filed the case with Motihar police station on 17 July.

According to the case statement, the accused, armed with cleavers, iron rods and pipes went to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall of the university around 3:30 pm on 16 July. They broke the lock on the main gate of the hall and torched 27 bikes of BCL activists. Besides, several rooms of BCL activists were vandalised and certificates were burnt, the case statement said.

The defendants in the case are - Salahuddin Ammar, a student of Islamic studies department of Rajshahi University, Tofail Ahmed of economics department, Fazle Rabbi of biochemistry and microbiology department, Mahadi Hasan of Arabic department, Mahadi Hasan alias Maruf of population sciences and human resource department, Mehedi Sajib of sociology department, Ashikur Rahman of philosophy department, Shah Paran of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Dewan Bandhan of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Tanveer Ahmed of the Department of Ceramics and Sculpture, Mominul Haque and Al Muhi Ferdous of the Department of Economics, Abdullah Al Mehdi of the Department of Public Administration, Shahriar Palash of the Department of Chemistry and Md Anarul from the Department of Pharmacy.

Motihar police station officer-in-charge (OC) Sheikh Mohammad Mobarak Parvez told Prothom Alo on Thursday that the investigation into the case is underway.

A case has been filed at the Ashulia police station against unidentified Jahangirnagar University (JU) students centering different programmes held during the quota reform movement. Ashulia police station sub-inspector (SI) Sharif Ahmed filed the case as the plaintiff.

Names of Navin Rahman of the 39th batch of the history department, Md Mehedi and Hiron of the 40th batch of the same department and Sagar from the 40th batch of the economics department have been mentioned among the accused in the case statement. They all are former students of the university. It has been learned that they are affiliated with Chhatra Dal. Seven others were named among the accused. None of them are students.

The case statement said the accused assembled illegally and obstructed the police from performing government duties. At the same time, the accused also attacked the police with an intention to kill.

The case statement reads that the plaintiff of the case (SI Sharif) came to learn that the quota protesters could lay siege to the residence of JU vice chancellor at 7:00 pm and created chaos there. Following that he reached the gate-1 of JU with other members of the police. The main gate of the VC was broken down by “unidentified protesters”. Later, they vandalised the yard and some parts of the building and at one point beat the security guards of the VC.

The case statement reads the VC sought help from the police to rescue him. The police went in front of the VC’s residence at around 1:00 am. By that time, the BCL members had taken positions in the field next to the residence of the VC. The situation escalated with the two sides positioning face to face.

According to the plaintiff of the case, “the students breaching the law and order” spread false information on Facebook that they were being beaten up by the police. Later, more unidentified students from different residential halls of the university thronged there and at one point they “hurled brickbats and crude bombs” towards the residence of the VC.

The case statement said the protesters started to beat up the police members who were in charge of security at the VC's residence with sticks to kill them. Several police officials were critically injured in the incident.

It further said at one point the police baton charged the students and fired shots from shotguns to save their lives. The students dispersed after that. Later, they gathered again and hurled brickbats towards the police and the VC’s residence.

SI Mamun Mia is the plaintiff of one of two cases filed against the unidentified 500 students of the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT).

According to the case statement, some 400-500 BUBT students thronged on the Shialbari road at around 11:30 am on 16 July. They took position in front of the university main gate. Upon receiving the news, the police arrived on the spot and tried to convince the student to leave the road. At the time, some 1,000-1,500 outsiders appeared there all of a sudden and started chanting slogans and blocked the road again. Meanwhile, members of Awami League and its associated bodies came to the spot hearing about the blockade. At one point, the two sides became face to face.

The case statement said the students asked the police for help wrapping up the protest for the day around 4:30 pm that day. However, the outsiders started chanting various slogans all of a sudden and at one point they attacked the law enforcements with sticks and brickbats. SI Al Mamun and several other police members sustained injuries in the incident.

An ‘active member’ of the Jubo League, Sumon Chowdhury filed another case against the unidentified students of BUBT. He mentioned in the case statement that he along with leaders-activists of Awami League and associate bodies’ Rupnagar unit came to the road opposite the BUBT campus at around 11:30am on 16 July as part of the central instructions on preventing any kinds of sabotage acts, damages to people’s properties and loss of lives, they then saw 400-500 students keeping the road opposite to the BUBT campus blocked and chanting various provocative slogans. At one stage, 700-800 outsiders gathered there, and the plaintiff called them activists of BNP, Jamaat and Shibir.

According to the case statement, unidentified students of BUBT and outsiders carrying sticks attacked leaders and activists of Awami League around 4:30pm on that day. A woman, Ruma was stuck on her head by a stick at that time. Besides, several woman activists were also assaulted.

One of the coordinators of the anti-discriminatory student movement, a platform that waged the quota reform movement, Sarjis Alam told Prothom Alo over mobile phone on Thursday night these cases are intentional, and students are involved with no violence. He thinks cases are being filed mentioning names to suppress the protesting students.

Prothom Alo’s Correspondent, Rajshahi University contributed reporting.

This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu and Hasanul Banna