21 bottles of alcohol seized from JU dormitory
Twenty-one bottles of alcohol were seized from the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall at Jahangirnagar University.
The bottles were recovered during a raid conducted on Sunday night in Room No 723 of the hall, said Provost Professor Mohammad Abdur Razzak.
The accused is Fazle Azwad, a third-year (52nd batch) student of the Department of Government and Politics at the university.
Although he is a residential student of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall, he had been staying illegally at the Jatiya Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall for a long time.
University sources said the hall administration conducted the raid around 9:30 pm after receiving information that narcotics were kept in Room No 723. Leaders and activists of the Hall Sangsad were also present during the operation. During the raid, a total of 21 bottles of alcohol were recovered from under the bed. During questioning, the accused student admitted that he had collected the alcohol from a border area in Jamalpur.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Fazle Azwad said, “I am not an alcohol trader. The alcohol was brought to hold a party with friends on New Year’s Eve. However, the party could not take place as one of my friend’s fathers suddenly passed away. That is why the bottles were kept in the room.”
Provost of the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall, Professor Mohammad Abdur Razzak, said, “We conducted a raid in the room at night and recovered several bottles of alcohol after opening the table locker. Later, during a search under the bed, more bottles were found. During questioning, the accused student admitted that he had collected the alcohol from a border area in Jamalpur. Since the accused is not a residential student of this hall, we have spoken with the provost of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall. They will take the necessary action against him.”
Students said that Fazle Azwad had contested the post of social welfare secretary from the Chhatra Dal panel in the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall Sangsad election during the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and Hall Sangsad elections was held on 11 September last year. However, the university unit of Chhatra Dal claimed that although he contested the election from their panel, he is not a Chhatra Dal activist.
Statement from Chhatra Dal
In a statement signed by Abdullah Antar, office secretary of the university unit of Chhatra Dal, it was said that a student named Fazle Azwad was detained with 21 bottles of alcohol at the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall.
Since the detention, some media outlets have identified Azwad as a Chhatra Dal activist, which the statement described as completely false and fabricated propaganda. The detained student is neither an activist nor a post-holder of Chhatra Dal.
The statement further said that during the last JUCSU elections, Chhatra Dal had formed an open panel at the hall level, allowing non-political students to contest as well. The organisation said this inclusive approach was aimed at making student politics more inclusive. Chhatra Dal demanded the maximum punishment under existing state and university laws in connection with the alcohol seizure.