Jashore Polytechnic students fed up with BCL-backed mugging, extortion

Students of Jashore Polytechnic Government Institute are fed up with regular mugging and extortion. Students living in the dormitories around the institute say that a group of miscreants are entering the dorms in the name of Chhatra League and snatching away mobile phones of the students. They even use the dorms as dens to hold drug sessions as well as for drug dealing. They beat up students if they do not join the rallies and processions of those in power.

This government polytechnic institute is located at the Sheikhhati High Court intersection in Jashore town. It has around 4000 students. Most of them live in the dormitories set up at homes around the institution. At least 20 local criminals, known as Chhatra League activists, are making life intolerable for the students of these dormitories. Many have even left their studies and returned home in fear. This correspondent spoke to five such students. They said that over the past six months at least 30 students have left their dormitories out of fear, and returned home.

Speaking to local residents and students, it was learnt that the former joint convener of Sadar upazila Chhatra League, Momel Hossain, and former vice president of district Chhatra League, Touhidur Rahman alias Jewel, are aiding and abetting these criminals in their misdeeds. They are both known as followers of the district Awami League general secretary Shaheen Chakladar. These former Chhatra League leaders are passing on the blame to each other.

Speaking about these allegations, Momel Hossain said, there are certain persons who are supplying drugs to the students in the Ghop area. They are the ones who are involved in the mugging and extortion. These criminals are involved in politics with Touhidur Rahman. Touhidur Rahman has accused Momel Hossain of lying, saying, "All the rowdy boys of the area are with Momel."

Attempts were made to contact the district Awami League general secretary Shaheen Chakladar over mobile phone yesterday, Friday, to ask about this matter, but he did not answer his phone.

Principal of Jashore Government Polytechnic Institute GM Azizur Rahman says that he had not heard of anyone leaving their studies and returning home in fear of their lives. He told Prothom Alo, "If any untoward incident takes place on campus, we inform the police. If anything takes place outside, the students do not inform us. How can we take action if we are unaware of these incidents?"

Fifth semester student of the mechanical department, Joy Bala, would live at the polytechnic dormitory. Students of the dormitory say that around one and a half months ago he was picked up from in front of the dormitory entrance by some locals. They kept him detained in some unknown location and extracted Tk 13,000. They gave him drugs and took a video of him with the drugs. They said if he complained to anyone, they would release the video. However, Joy Bala went straight to his fellow students and related the incident. The students demanded that outsiders not be allowed on campus. The authorities then prohibited entry of outsiders. But Joy, threatened by the criminals, had to leave the dormitory to return home. When contacted over mobile phone, Joy said, "I am busy," and cut the connection.

Faisal Mahmud, a student of the same department, will live in an off-campus dormitory. He said recently three of them had been going to the market when certain 'big brothers' of the area waylaid them and took them by motorbikes to the Lichutala area of the town. They took away their mobile phones and Tk 6000. They filed a GD with the police station, but have not received justice. He has left the dormitory in fear and returned home to Chuadanga.

Fifth semester student of the telecommunication department, Nayeem Hasan, would live at a dormitory in Barandipara in the town. Snatchers took away mobile phones and Tk 7000 from three of them in front of the dormitory around six months ago. Nayeem Hasan said, "The snatchers were local youth. I know their faces, but not their names. We told Momel bhai (former Chhatra League leader Momel Hasan) about the matter and he retrieved our mobile phones. But we didn't get the money back."

Kabir Hossain and Munna Hussain of the mechanical department would live in a dormitory of the Jamrultala area. The local 'big brothers' would come to call everyone to join the processions during the parliamentary election. As they did not join the election, one day they were accosted while paying on the polytechnic grounds and beaten up. Kabir Hossain said, "We are not safe even on our own campus. I was beaten up while playing in the field of our campus, because I hadn't joined the procession. I left the dormitory after that and come home."

Five students of the polytechnic institute would stay in a dormitory set up at a house in Sheikhhati Jamrultala area. Two of them were students of the telecommunication department and three of the computer science department. Certain local youth, known as the 'big brothers' would forcefully hang out at the dormitory and take drugs. One of the students on condition of anonymity said, "They would come at any time of the day or night for some space in our dormitory to take drugs. Out of fear, we allowed this one or two days. But later when we refused, they beat us up. They would go to the college and threaten to kill us. We have all left the dormitory out of fear and come back to our own homes."

The students say that such drug hang outs are forcefully taking place in various dormitories. Many students are getting addicted to drugs in this manner too.

The polytechnic has a 260-bed facility, Shahid Principal Sultan Uddin dormitory, for the students. The authorities closed down the dormitory in 2008 due to drugs, student politics and dominance of outsiders. After a dozen years, the dormitory was reopened in December last year. Over a hundred students live there at present, but already outsiders have started gaining dominance.

Students of the dormitory say, outsider come here regularly as it is a safe haven for their drug habits. If anyone obstructs them, the student are picked up, locked up and tortured. They threaten the students with guns and knives, taking away mobile phones, money and expensive items. They come to the dormitory, beat up the students and take away their laptops and money. They threaten the students with guns if they refuse to hand over their possessions.

Sources at the dormitory say that in retaliation of outsiders being prohibited from entering the dormitory, miscreants on 3 March came up with sticks and weapons, searching for the senior students of the dormitory. Not finding them, they picked up a student Al Amin and took him to the High Court intersection nearby. When the other students went to rescue him, the miscreants beat them up. The authorities of the institution have formed a five-member committee to look into the matter.

Shakil Ahmed, a student who recently passed out from the power technology department, submitted a written complaint to the Jashore Kotwali police station about the students being assaulted. Shakil Ahmed is the general secretary of the Bangladesh technical students' council. He said, around 10 to 12 persons of Sheikhhati Adarshapara village of Jashore town upazila, including Hridoy, Sumon, Sajid and Jibon, often carried out mugging and extortion. Every year innumerable students left their studies and went home put of fear.

During a visit to the Jashore Government Polytechnic Institute dormitory on 6 March, it was seen that the annual sports competition was being held in front of the dorm. A few members of the police force were standing on guard. A procession emerged from the dormitory at that moment, will slogans calling for an end to the crime and terrorism.

Former Chhatra League leader Momel Hossain said, "It is true that Sajid, Hridoy, Suman, all join my processions. But I do not indulge their criminal activities. If any mobile phone or money of the students in the area is snatched away, I try to get it back from the muggers and return it to the owners."

Jashore Kotwali police station's officer-in-charge Abdur Razzak said, "We do not know much about the internal matters of the educational institution. We know whatever the institution's authorities tell us. But investigations will be carried out into the allegations of mugging and extortion."