The attitude of the ruling party's student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League, the hall administration and the police, against a student of Dhaka University regarding his personal expression on Facebook, is a clear violation of human rights. This incident is an example of how far the space of free intellectual practice and the scope of expression has narrowed in an autonomous institution like the university.
Prothom Alo reports that Meftahul Maruf, a political science student of Dhaka University, lives in Muktidjoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall. He wrote a comment in a messenger group of students complaining that a programme of Chhatra League has caused public suffering recently. The programme was organised by BCL to protest the series of bombings across the country in 2005.
Meftahul wrote, "The series of bomb attacks are carried out by a militant organisation called Jamaatul Mujahideen under the leadership of Bangla Bhai. BNP and Jamaat coalition was in power at that time. If they are responsible for being in power, then Awami League is responsible for all militant attacks including the one in Gulshan in 2008."
Considering Meftahul's opinion as a serious crime, some leaders and workers of Chhatra League of Ziaur Rahman Hall caught him and took him to the provost. Provost Mohammad Billal Hossain handed over a student of his hall to the police after finding so called evidence of the student’s involvement in anti-state activities and militancy. The police took him into custody and interrogated for several hours, but released him to teachers’ custody as they did not find 'sufficient material' to file a case.
The concept of autonomy was well established with the universities. University plays a central role in the development of free thinking in society and state. But the irony is that in the last few decades, the environment of universities has become an obstacle to the exercise of free speech and became a place to suppress dissent. Worryingly, the incident did not end with Meftahul being handed over to the police.
After his release, two leaders of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad were attacked on their way back to the campus from Shahbag police station. Who will guarantee that Meftahul will not be attacked again in the future? We beg to question how is it possible to raise serious charges like involvement in anti-state activities and militancy against a student based on a comment written in a Facebook Messenger group? Who gave the BCL the right to pick up the student from his room in the middle of the night? Under what consideration did the provost hand over a student of his hall to the police just based on the complaint of the Chhatra League?
Physical and mental oppression of ordinary students and dissenting students has been going on for a long time in public universities of the country. Incidents like beatings, emotional abuse, reporting to the guest rooms, being forced to attend programmes, being thrown out of halls often make headlines in the media.
Although physical and mental abuse of students is a clear violation of human rights, it is being ignored. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in a statement issued at the end of a four-day visit, called for the allegations of human rights violations to be taken into account in Bangladesh. She also expressed concern that freedom of expression is being undermined due to the Digital Security Act. Not just through law enforcement agencies, there are numerous ways being used to monitor digital activities.
Describing the incident that happened to him as mental torture, Meftahul asked, who will address this injustice? Such injustice to any student is unwarranted. Violation of human rights cannot continue like this. The university administration has to make arrangements to ensure Meftahul's safety. The university should be developed as a centre of free intellectual practice and expression.