IU hands down lifetime expulsion to 5 including BCL leader Sanjida

The Islamic University syndicate has handed down lifetime expulsion to five students including Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Sanjida Chowdhury for torturing another student, Fulpori Khatun.

The syndicate, the highest decision making body of the university, took the decision at a meeting on Monday afternoon, confirmed the IU’s acting registrar HM Ali Hasan after the meeting.

Earlier on Sunday, the disciplinary committee of the university reviewed a High Court order regarding this at the vice-chancellor’s conference room and decided to take a final decision from an emergency meeting of the syndicate. It was also decided that the university’s decision will be sent to the High Court.

On 15 July, the university’s student disciplinary committee decided to expel a residential hall unit BCL vice-president Sanjida Chowdhury and four others from all academic, residential and other activities for a year for torturing a first year student, Fulpori Khatun. The four other students are -- Halima Akter, Ishrat Jahan, Tabassum Islam and Moabia Jahan.

But the High Court scrapped the expulsion order and asked the IU authorities to re-determine the punishment of the five students and submit a report to HC on 23 August.

The High Court said the way the guilty students were punished was not appropriate. Instead, it asked the university authorities to follow Code of Conducts of the Students, 1987 to determine the punishment of the five guilty students.

An HC bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Razik Al Jalil passed the order on 26 July.

A fresher of the finance and banking department was tortured and intimidated by the then IU unit BCL vice-president Sanjida Chowdhury alias Antora and her associates in Deshratna Sheikh Hasina Hall on the campus on 12 February night.

Antora, at one stage, allegedly forced the victim to get undressed and videoed the incident on her mobile phone.

She also reportedly threatened that she would make the video viral on social media if the victim disclosed the matter to anyone, according to the complaint the victim filed with the university administration, including the university proctor, student adviser and hall provost, on 14 February.

Following this, Supreme Court lawyer and a former student of IU, Gazi Md Mohsin filed a writ petition attaching media reports seeking punitive action against the involved students.