Terror grips Dhaka University campus over muggings, dumped corpses

Muggings, shootouts and dumping of corpses have left inmates of Dhaka University campus in a state of fear.

Tapan Kanti Ray, Dhaka University Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 11 Feb 2017, 09:02 AM
Updated : 11 Feb 2017, 11:45 AM

The university authorities do not deny the rise in crime on the campus, but say it is open on all sides and prone to incursions by criminals.

Students and teachers as well other employees are a worried lot -- they feel the campus is more unsafe than ever before.

Twenty serious crimes have been reported from the campus in the last three years.

Last Tuesday, around 2:45pm, four riding a  motorcycle tried to snatch the belongings of former DU student Moniruzzaman Masud. He resisted but the snatchers fired and decamped with his bag.

A police vehicle was parked a few yards from the spot of the crime near the Vice Chancellor's office. The Nilkhet and New Market police stations were in an area through which the snatchers escaped on their motorcycle.

On Jan  31 morning, at around the same spot where Masud was robbed, two criminals brandishing knives snatched away the mobile phone from second year student Imarat Hossain Khan.

Khan was on his way to class from the Sergeant Zahirul Haque Hall where he stays.

Two months ago, DU Chhatra League vice-president Abdullah Al-Zubair was on his way to hostel when his motorcycle was blocked by a private car near Banbeis.

As he turned his motorcycle to escape, the car inmates fired at Zubair.

On Nov 21 last year,  the handbag of the Netherlands' ambassador was stolen during a programme at Dhaka University's fine arts faculty.

Ambassador Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere said the bag contained valuables and documents including an iPad, an iPhone, and bank documents.

Thankfully, the thief was caught later.

Snatchers decamped with a gold chain when the wife of a former student was approaching the Nilkhet gate to attend the Durga Puja celebrations there on Oct 9.

On Apr 9 last year, criminals posing as detectives, took away Tk 700,000 from one Ajam Uddin riding rickshaw near Doel Chattar.

An NCC Bank executive Ekram Hossain was mugged at the same spot in April 2015. Muggers snatched away his laptop and Ekram broke his hand falling off the rickshaw.

Eden College student Ishrat Jahan complains that she was mugged near Rokeya Hall on May 23, 2015 in the presence of policemen. The police remained reluctant as the muggers snatched away her handbag, she claims. 

A few days later, a Dhaka College student lost his laptop to muggers in front of Jagannath Hall. Three weeks later, muggers snatched a laptop from Saiful Islam Sujon who was returning to the Kabi Jasimuddin Hall from TSC on a rickshaw in the evening.

The snatching took place near the VC Chattar.

Two Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders, Abdul Alim and Jahid Hasan, were mugged in front of F Rahman Hall on the night of Aug 27 that year.

"Three men came out of a white car and took away two mobile phone sets, cash and ATM card by brandishing firearms at us," said Alim.

Shudhangshu Shekhor Ray, a faculty member of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, was mugged on the road along Bangla Academy on the evening of Oct 26, 2014.

The next day, Eden College student Dola Sarker sustained grave injuries falling off a rickshaw in front of Zahurul Haque Hall as two muggers snatched away her bag.

Sujon Ghosh, a student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said two men riding motorcycles mugged him in front of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

"As it was Mar 7, 2014, police were deployed on the road for Awami League's programme at the Suhrawardy Udyan. I informed them of the snatching but they did not make any move to nab the muggers," said an angry Sujon.

Former leader of Chhatra League's central committee Mahmudul Hasan Russel was shot and mugged near the Central Shaheed Minar on Apr 27, 2013.

Two unidentified bodies were found at the campus in 2015 and in the following year.

On Feb 7, 2016, an unidentified body was recovered from the pond near Shahidullah Hall.

On Mar 21, 2015, police recovered a body with several injury marks from the road in front of the Atomic Energy Commission. 

Writer-blogger Avijit Roy was hacked to death by assailants in front of the Suhrawardy Udyan entrance while returning from Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Feb 27 that year. His wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya lost a finger and suffered several cut injuries in the attack.

Later police investigations found the assailants were militants.

"More policemen should be deployed on the campus prone to such crimes," suggests faculty member Shudhangshu Sekhor Ray.

When asked what initiatives the DU authorities were taking to stop such crimes on campus, DU Proctor M Amjad Ali said: "We try our level best to provide security on campus. We have asked the police to increase vigilance. But since it is an open campus, outsiders are frequently moving in and out."

The criminals take advantage of the loose security, he added.

"The whole campus needs to be monitored through CCTV cameras."

However, security has been beefed up since Tuesday's incident, said M Amjad.

"We are yet to be sure whether the muggers belong to the university or are outsiders. Some outsiders might have stormed in and then fled after mugging," he said.

A case has been started over the incident at Shahbagh Police Station.

Shahbagh police OC Abu Bakar Siddique said, "We have got a clue and are trying to nab the perpetrators."

Police have beefed up security on campus, he added.

"We have requested the university authorities to install CCTV cameras at the entrance and the spots where most of these incidents take place."