Dhaka University: Admin can’t take hall control from Chhatra League

Over the past five years, the Dhaka University administration at least five times took the decision to take over control of the university’s residential halls. However, that never materialised. The halls remain in the grips of the ruling Awami League’s ‘fraternal’ student organisation, Chhatra League.

Speaking to teachers attached to the hall administration, it was learnt that no one took initiative to implement the decision for the administration to take control of the halls entirely, in fear of the teachers facing repercussions and harassment. The hall provosts merely carry out the administrative duties. As for the residential teachers, though they get all benefits and facilities, they hardly do any work regarding the halls, or cannot do so even if they want.

From conversations with the students and leaders of various student organisations, it was learnt that the leaders of the student front of whichever party is in power, rule the halls. They decide who can stay at the halls, who can’t and which rooms they will be allocated. For the last 15 years all this has been controlled by the hall units of Chhatra League. Various leaders of Chhatra League usher in the first-year students to the halls, using them to strengthen their groups. The newcomers first have to stay at the ‘gono rooms’ (mass rooms). In exchange for being given a place in the halls, the students have to join processions and rallies. They have to make an appearance at the ‘guest room’ at night. And every year there are clashes within Chhatra League over strengthening their respective groups.

According to the university administration sources, a decision was taken at the provost standing committee held on 9 October 2019 that students would have to leave the halls within 15 days of completing their Masters. Halls seats would be allocated on the basis of merit. No student would be able to get a seat in the hall or stay at the hall without the permission of the administration. On 23 October of the same year, the university administration held a meeting to exchange views concerning the duties and responsibilities of the hall administration. The vice chancellor at the time, Akhteruzzaman, said that in no way will non-students be allowed to stay at the halls. The vacant seats will be allocated to students on the basis of merit.

Then at a meeting held in April 2020 during the pandemic, it was decided that once the university reopened, only legitimate students would be allowed to stay at the halls. An end would be brought to ‘gono rooms’. At the university’s syndicate meeting held of 18 September 2020 it was decision that the “so-called gono rooms” would not be allowed in the halls.

Then lastly, at the meeting of the provost standing committee with the vice chancellor held on 24 February 2022, decisions were taken for the administration to be in charge of seat allocation and regular management. The duties of the provosts and residential teachers were specified at the meeting. It was decided to set up CCTV cameras and take other strict measures to ensure that the hall guests rooms were not misused.

Before all these decisions, the issues of political control of the halls, ‘gono rooms’ and guest rooms were discussed at the DUCSU meeting held in March 2019. A consensus had been reached at the meeting that hall seats would be allocated by the administration on the basis of merit. None of these decisions or discussions has been implemented down till this day.

Prothom Alo spoke to at least 15 teachers who were or are attached to the administration of various halls of Dhaka University. Several of the residential teachers said that the university authorities dispense of their duties merely by taking decisions. But reality is that the residential teachers do not have the power to allocate seats to students or evict those who have completed their studies and are no longer students. It is the student front of the ruling party that poses as an obstacle in this regard. There is fear of being harassed if any attempt is made to intervene. That is why the teachers do not have the courage to exert themselves. The university authorities take decisions centrally, but no effective initiative to implement the decisions.

The teachers said, when BNP was in power, Chhatra Dal would control the halls. In the 2007-08 period of the military-backed caretaker government, the halls were in the control of the administration.

After Awami League came to power in 2009, Professor ASM Arefin Siddique became the vice chancellor. During his tenure, Professor Asif Nazrul was the provost of the Sir PJ Hartog International Hall. At the time he raised a proposal at the provost standing committee meeting. Referring to that, Asif Nazrul told Prothom Alo that first year students must be given priority in the seat allocation at the halls. In universities abroad, the new students are given priority. But here it is just the opposite. The first year students are obliged to stay in the 'gono rooms'. He said everyone agreed to his proposal at the time, but no decision was officially taken to that end. If just this decision is taken, then the repression by the hall-centered student organisation would lessen to a great degree. That is why the ruling party and its loyal teachers and administration will never do this.

In the first meeting of the Dhaka University central Students Union (DUCSU) back in 2019, discussions were held on merit-based seat allocation at the halls as well as the control being placed with the administration, said the DUCSU vice president (VP) of the time, Nurul Haque. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said that even the Chhatra League leaders at the meeting agreed to this. But later the hall Chhatra League leaders did not want control to go to the administration because then students of differing views would enter the halls.

Before the DUCSU election in 2019, four leaders of Awami League were given the responsibility of preparing a Chhatra League panel. Sources say that the Awami League leaders who had been given this task held preliminary discussion with the university authorities about regular students staying at the halls, establishing the administrations control in the halls, and so on. But the talks didn't advance further.

Sources in the Dhaka University administration told Prothom Alo that the university had remained closed from 18 March 2020 till 4 October 2021 due to the Covid outbreak. Before the university reopened it was decided that the halls would be run by the administration. On the day that the university opened, there was a cursory checking of the IDs of students who entered the halls. Then the situation simply went back to as before.

Then in 2022 the decision was taken that the administration take control of the halls, but the university authorities eventually backtracked on that too. Sources in the university administration said that BNP had started an anti-government movement towards the middle of that year. There was fear that if control of the halls was taken away from Chhatra League at that juncture, the situation may take a different turn. The next year was the convocation too. In consideration of all this, the administration took no initiative.

The vice chancellor of Dhaka University had been Akhteruzzaman when these decisions were taken five years ago. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said that one must proceed tactfully to clear up all the irregularities that have accumulated over the years. It is not that their decisions were not put into effective at all. Measures had been taken up to allocate hall seats through the administration, to remove the 'gono rooms', to free the halls or non-students, but that was not fully implemented. However, the number of 'gono rooms' has decreased.

ASM Maksud Kamal was made vice chancellor in November last year. After he took over, a new plan was drawn up regarding the hall administration. Vice chancellor ASM Maksud Kamal, speaking to Prothom Alo, said political control over the student halls is a long-standing issue. This will not be resolved by speaking or by the administration taking stern measures. He said they were taking a 'mechanical approach' to address the issue. An app is being devised where room-wide information of all the students will be stored. The residential teachers will visit their designated blocks twice a week and upload the information on the app. Regular monitoring will be carried out in this manner. The student organisations will also be approached for their cooperation in this regard.

Teachers and students, however, expressed their doubts as to how far this initiative will succeed. The student organisation of the ruling party is the biggest impediment in this regard. After all, the organisations maintains it dominance over the campus by controlling the halls.

General secretary of Dhaka University Chhatra League, Tanvir Hasan, told Prothom Alo that Chhatra League is no obstacle to any decision of the university administration. However, there are certain 'technical' problems. The administration changes from time to time, and then the policies change too. This Chhatra League leader claimed that the halls were in control of the administration. Chhatra League simply took first year students into the hall out of humanitarian considerations. Many came from the villages, from poor families. Many requested them to arrange for them to stay at the halls.

Speaking to students of various halls, it was learnt that the first year students who stayed at the halls were obliged to regularly join meetings and rallies. They had to turn up at the 'guest room' of the halls every evening or night. Over there, the Chhatra League 'big brothers' would give then instructions and question them. There are instances of mental and physical torture in these rooms too. A student recently fell unconscious during one of these sessions at the 'guest room' in Bijoy Ekattur Hall.

Professor of the international relations department at Dhaka University, Mohammad Tanzimuddin, told Prothom Alo, the environment at the halls is not conducive for studies. It is fit for arrogance and power. But the administration does nothing.