DUCSU VP Nur stages sit-in outside VC’s house after BCL attack at SM Hall

Nurul Haque Nur and a group of students have gathered outside the Dhaka University vice-chancellor’s residence in protest against an attack on the DUCSU vice-president and his supporters by Bangladesh Chhatra League workers at the Salimullah Muslim Hall.

The protesters on Tuesday night demanded expulsion of the attackers from the university, drives to free the halls from BCL’s control and outsiders, and arrangement of seats for regular students.

Nur vowed not to end the sit-in until the authorities accept their demands. 

“I shall leave here after getting our demands met. I shall return to the students only if I can succeed with my demands. And if I cannot, I am ready to die, if necessary,” he said.   

DUCSU Social Services Secretary Akhtar Hossain Khan, who was elected from Nur’s panel, and Arani Semonti Khan, who contested for the VP post from a panel of independents, were also there at the sit-in.  

Nur and his associates started the protest programme around 7:30pm after they came under attack at the SM Hall while protesting against the assault of a student, Farid Hasan, by BCL activists.

Farid contested in the DUCSU elections last month for the general secretary of the SM Hall union as an independent candidate but later pulled out following threats of the BCL leaders.

He needed 32 stitches to the wounds on his head after Monday’s assault.

BCL workers threw eggs at Nur when he and over 100 of his supporters went to the hall in procession on Tuesday afternoon to submit a written complaint over the assault.

BCL’s SM Hall unit President Tahsan Hossain Russell, General Secretary Mehedi Hasan Taposh, the hall union’s VP Kamal Hossain, GS Julius Caesar and their associates attacked Nur and Farid when they went to the latter’s room to collect his clothes, the DUCSU VP claimed.

A student named ‘Ataullah’ was ‘severely’ injured in the attack, he said.

Proctor AKM Golam Rabbani and the hall’s Provost Mahbubul Alam Joarder did not respond to the DUCSU VP’s phone calls for help when the BCL activists confined them to the hall, Nur alleged.

The proctor sent some members of his team later but they failed to rescue Nur, Farid, and other students. They finally got out of the hall when Provost Joarder came.

Nur alleged the BCL activists kicked and threw punches at the protesters from the back even when they were coming out.

The BCL workers hurled abuses at some female students who went to the hall after hearing about the confinement of Nur and others, he added.