HC orders returning hall seat allotment to BUET student Rabbi

The High Court on Monday ordered the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to return the hall seat of its student Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, reports UNB.

HC justice Md Khasruzzaman and justice KM Zahid Sarwar passed the order after hearing a writ petition challenging the cancellation of the hall seat allotment to Rabbi, a student of 21st batch of Civil Engineering department and an executive member of BCL central panel, by the BUET authorities.

Earlier on 1 April, the same HC bench stayed the decision of BUET authorities restricting politics on the campus.

Rabbi's hall allotment was cancelled by the university authorities amid students' protests demanding expulsion of Rabbi for his suspected involvement in the gathering Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists on the campus defying the authorities' ban on student politics.

Lawyer Harun-or-Rashid filed the writ petition challenging the BUET's decision.

The vice chancellor of BUET and others concerned have been made respondents in the writ.

On 27 March, BCL president Saddam Hussain along with other leaders and activists entered BUET campus when Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi was present and allegedly played a vital role in facilitating the entry by the BCL men.

On 29 March, the students of BUET staged demonstrations against the alleged activities of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists on the campus where student politics is prohibited.

Amid protests of general students, BUET authorities cancelled the hall allocation of Rabbi on 30 March but no decision was taken about his expulsion as per the demand of the students.

The BUET students on 2 April appealed to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, seeking her intervention to maintain their campus as a zone free of political activities.

This request was articulated through an open letter to the prime minister, the contents of which were shared during a press briefing in front of the Prof MA Rashid Administrative building on the BUET campus.