BUET student webpage shut by BTRC for complaints of torture

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has blocked the webpage made for students to file complaints of harassment and torture on them. BTRC chairman Jahurul Haque has confirmed this to Prothom Alo.

As many as 103 complaints were submitted in two and half years on the webpage made by the Computer Science and Engineering department to address the harassment and abuse of students having different opinions. According to the authorities, BUET administration took no action despite being informed about those complaints several times.

The students of the CSE department of BUET launched the server titled One Stop Online Reporting System(EU Reporter) in 2016. Any student can file complaints on the page anonymously. A total of 103 complaints along with the new ones after Abrar’s murder were filed on the page till Wednesday.

BTRC issued directives to Internet Gateway (IGW) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) to block the page on Wednesday.

Citing that any page will be blocked if accused of illegal activities, telecommunications minister Mostafa Jabbar told Prothom Alo that he did not know whether the webpage was shut down.

The BTRC chairman, however, said that the page has been closed down due to security concerns.

A number of students wishing anonymity told Prothom Alo that students have been termed as members of Chhatra Shibir for criticising the government, university administration or food in the canteen.

They also said, they cannot express their opinion freely in fear of Chhatra League leaders. They alleged that students have been tortured and harassed physically and mentally in the name of ragging.

The webpage has been supervised by a professor of CSE department Mostafa Akbar. He said their duty is to submit the complaints to the students’ welfare office.
He said, he submitted a copy of complaints to the authorities yet no visible action has been taken.

Director of Students’ Welfare told Prothom Alo, he has taken stern action against some students accused of ragging the freshers.

As per the complaints on the page, many students alleged that the accused of Abrar murder were involved in harassing general students in many ways.

The complaints read, BUET BCL leader Ashiqul Islam alias Bitu, Mujtaba Rafid and Ifti Mosharref alias Sakal kicked a student of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department out of the hall and snatched his laptop worth Tk 100,000.