Authorities keep silent as violence rampant on campus

Three big incidents of violence took place on the Dhaka University campus in the last six months. In those incidents, the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), front organisation of ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL), beat up the leaders and activists of all the opposition organisations unilaterally.

The leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student organisation of de facto opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), were beaten up on the campus twice while the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, the student organisation of Gono Odhikar Parishad, were beaten up once.

Though the incidents have taken place in front of the Dhaka University authorities and have created a culture of “mob beating” on the campus, the university authorities, instead of taking any action to prevent the incidents, have been remaining silent.

The vice chancellor sought a report on the attacks the BCL men carried out on the JCD leaders and activists in the last six months. But the report has not been submitted to him as yet while the VC sought no report in connection with another incident.

Rather, the university’s proctor AKM Golam Rabbani blamed the victims for the incidents. And, cases were filed against the victims later.

A new culture has emerged because of BCL’s inflexible stance towards the opposing student organisations on Dhaka University campus. The defining characteristic of the culture is – groups taking position on campus with bamboo sticks, hockey sticks, iron pipes and iron rods and attacking the opposition.

JCD has been the victim of this BCL culture for long. Chhatra Odhikar Parishad has been newly added to the list. The incidents of taking position on campus with arms and carrying out attacks have created concerns and panic among the general students, said the students.

It is the BCL that controls the 13 halls at Dhaka University. BCL leaders and activists are the “de facto administration” there. The general students, especially the younger students, of the halls are forced by BCL to take part in the incidents of violence.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, a 2nd year student at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall said, “Since I stay at the hall under the Chhatra League, I’m bound to take part in all the party programmes including beating others. If anyone skips the clashes, they face abuse and torture at guest room.”

But such incidents are occasional at the five dormitories for female students as the university administration has more control there. The female students are also not seen in the clashes.

Saddam Hossain, Dhaka University unit BCL general secretary, has always denied the Chhatra League’s involvement with the attacks. “It is the general students who have been preventing the rogues for protecting the educational and progressive environment on the campus,” he maintained.

Chhatra Dal leaders and activists could not enter the campus for nine years since Awami League formed the government in 2009. Later, the BCL men “allowed” them stay on campus before the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) and Hall Sangsad elections in 2019. The election was being hold after 28 years.

Since then though the JCD leaders and activists could not stay at halls, they were organising party programmes on the campus without any hindrance. Though the BCL leaders and activists attacked them several times, they did not drive them out of the campus. However, the BCL men severely beaten up the JCD leaders and activists twice over the speech of JCD’s central general secretary Saif Mahmud at a programme at the feet of Raju Memorial Sculpture on the campus on 22 May.

Following the incident, university’s proctor AKM Golam Rabbani told Prothom Alo, “A report has been sought from the proctorial body about what happened there. Next course of action will be decided after the report is produced.”

He also talked about taking legal action against those (JCD leaders and activists) who are involved with “terror” activities on campus to make the situation volatile there. However, nothing could be known about the report later. The JCD leaders and activists were arrested in a case filed over that incident though.

Since the clash in May this year, the JCD leaders and activists are effectively driven out of the Dhaka University campus. Amid this, a new committee of the JCD was constituted on 11 September.

When the new committee leaders wanted to pay a courtesy call on the DU vice chancellor at his office with bouquets and sweets on 27 September, the BCL men, as per their previous announcement, beat them up on the way near the “Freedom and Democracy Gate” of the campus at Nilkhet. The attack injured JCD’s DU unit president Khorshed Alam, general secretary Ariful Islam and at least 13 others.

Following the attack, vice chancellor Md. Akhtaruzzaman asked the proctor to submit a report on the incident within four working days. The report has not yet been submitted while no case has been filed either.

On Friday, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad organised a rally marking the third anniversary of BUET student Abrar Fahad, who was beaten to death by BCL leaders and activists on the BUET campus, at the feet of Raju Memorial Sculpture at the banner of ‘Abrar Fahad Memorial Sangsad’. The BCL men chased the organisers out of the campus. At least 15 leaders and activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad were injured in the attack.

When the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad men went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment, they were beaten by the BCL men there as well. In afternoon that day, policemen from Shahbagh police station detained at least 20 leaders and activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad from the hospital. Two BCL leaders filed two cases against 25 leaders and activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad and another 145-150 unknown persons in this connection.

Speaking to Prothom Alo about the Friday’s incident, DU proctor AKM Golam Rabbani said, “Security of the university students is before anything else. Those who would try to go violate this, must take the responsibility. The law enforcing agency has been asked to take action in this regard.”

He also raised questions on why the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad leaders brought outsiders to the campus.

The BCL leaders and activists were seen with bamboo sticks, machetes and other local weapons during the all three incidents but it seems the university administration could not see those. Neither the vice chancellor nor the proctor said anything regarding this as yet. That is why the Chhatra Dal, Samjtantrik Chhatra Front and Chhatra Federation leaders and activists have raised questions about the university administration’s impartiality.

When the proctor was asked about the reasons of clash on the campus so often, he said, “We don’t have any answer to this. Ask this to those who do politics.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Dhaka University vice chancellor Md. Akhtaruzzaman said, “We take into cognizance if we see evidence of any incident.”

Regarding the students taking position on the campus with bamboo sticks, machetes and other local weapons, he said, “The students should have books and pens in their hand. We expect the students stay in classrooms and there will be some extracurricular activities as well. Things happen otherwise politically sometimes. But we always encourage the students to remain students in their behaviour.”

* The report has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza