CU BCL: Studentship expires 10-yr ago, president still staying at hall
Although the studentship of Rezaul Haque, Chittagong University unit BCL president, expired nearly a decade ago, he is still staying at the dormitory illegally.
He enrolled in the university in 2007.
Rezaul Haque came to the limelight last Monday when a photograph of him went viral in the social media. In the photograph, it was seen that Rezaul was watching TikTok videos, lying on the bed, while two of the university unit Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders -- Shamim Azad and Shafiul Islam -- rubbing his legs.
The image uploaded on Facebook sparked a huge criticism over the students' politics from all quarters across the nation. Even BCL leaders and activists vented their anger over the issue.
According to the university, he enrolled in the Statistics department of the university under 2006-07 academic session and completed bachelor and master’s in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
Then he became the president of CU unit BCL on 14 July 2019, six years after his studentship expired, and still holding the post. As per the BCL constitution, the tenure of the president and general secretary posts is one year.
The campus source said Rezaul has been staying at a three-seat room (311 No.) in Shah Amanat hall illegally since 2017.
According to the university ordinance, a student will have to complete the bachelor by six academic seasons while the master’s by two. But Rezaul has been on the CU campus for around 17 years.
The university authority issued a notice on 27 February, asking the students whose studentships expired to leave the hall and the campus by 15 March.
In the notice, the authorities threatened to take legal action against the illegal students if they stay at the hall after 15 March. But Rezaul didn’t pay any heed to the notice.
When asked, the university proctor Nurul Azim Sikder told Prothom Alo that they are working to recover the occupied seats by the illegal students. “We have already talked to the police to take legal action against those who are staying at the hall illegally,” the proctor added.
When asked how Rezaul was made president of BCL even after not having studentship, BCL president Saddam Hossain told Prothom Alo that the problem has arisen as there is a large gap in holding council.
“We are trying to bring the regular students in leadership through a fresh council,” he said, terming the matter of rubbing the legs of Rezaul embarrassing and derogatory.
There are two groups and 11 sub-groups in BCL politics in CU. Rezaul is a leader of ‘Choose Friend with Care’ sub-group and known as the follower of Muhibul Hasan Chowdhury, deputy minister for education.