BCL ransacks engineer’s office failing to obtain tender

Barely two days after going berserk on the Chittagong University campus, ruling Bangladesh Awami League’s (AL) student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) ransacked the office of varsity’s supervising engineer on Thursday.

The activists of the ruling party’s student ransacked the office for not giving a construction work of Tk 200 million to the contractor of their leader’s choice, alleged supervising engineer Syed Mohammad Jahangir Fazal.

Witnesses said a group of about 10 BCL activists - the followers of the former general secretary of the university’s BCL unit MA Khaled Chowdhury - entered the engineer’s office in filmy style and ransacked the office.

The supervising engineer, however, was not present in the office at the time of the BCL attack.  

Earlier on Tuesday, a group of 35 to 40 BCL activists - followers of the president of the BCL’s recently-dissolved committee of the university unit Alamgir Tipu - vandalised the proctor office, six classrooms of Arabic and Dramatics departments and 15 varsity vehicles.

“Former general secretary of BCL’s university unit MA Khaled Chowdhury tried to help his favourite organisation get the work. Khaled sent his supporters to attack my office as the organisation did not get the permit of third phase [construction] work of the biology faculty building,” Jahangir Fazal told Prothom Alo.

Also a member of the tender evaluation committee, Fazal said, “Khaled also threatened me over the phone.”

Talking to Prothom Alo, Khaled Chowdhury, however, denied the allegation and claimed he does not know who launched the attack.

He said the university authorities can take legal actions against the students involved in the attack.

University’s engineering office said it had floated a tender in November last year for the construction of unfinished biological science faculty building, renovation of one-kilometre road on the campus and for the construction of the security wall of the administration building.

Three engineering organisations took part in the tender process. Khaled Chowdhury, who was the general secretary of BCL’s CU unit from 2011 to 2015, lobbied for Dali Construction. But, it did not get the work.

University registrar Kamrul Huda told Prothom Alo that they have received complaints of the attack at the engineering section. “We will take administrative actions after receiving written complaints of the attack.”

The CU authorities formed a three-member committee, led by science faculty dean professor Mohammad Shafiul Alam, to investigate into the incident. Two other members of the committee are: law faculty dean ABM Abu Noman and assistant proctor Phanibhusan Biswas.

CU vice chancellor professor Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury said the probe committee was asked to submit its report within 15 days.

In 2016, two BCL factions locked into clashes on the campus for six times over the tender of construction of two buildings on the campus involving Tk 950 million. At least 10 BCL activists were injured in the clashes.

On 20 November 2016, police recovered hanging body of BCL’s central assistant secretary Diaz Irfan Chowdhury from his residence adjacent to gate No. 2 of the university.

Houses of four leaders of BCL’s CU unit, including Diaz, came under attack 22 days’ before the incident. Police, then, said the attacks were launched due to dispute over grabbing tender.