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Published : 17 Jul 2024, 05:29 PM
Students have driven out Chhatra League leaders from different residential halls in Dhaka University amid clashes between protesters demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs and the ruling party’s student wing.
On Wednesday morning, students vandalised the rooms of Chhatra League leaders when they were not found inside. Students also collected the signatures from provosts of 14 residential halls at Dhaka University on letters of commitment to ban ‘student politics.’
Protesters beat and drove out nine BCL leaders including Atika Binta Hossain, the president of BCL’s Ruqayyah Hall unit on Tuesday night. They took control of most of the halls in the same manner.
They vandalised the rooms of BCL leaders including Central BCL President Saddam Hossain in Sir AF Rahman Hall, Bijoy Ekattor Hall BCL General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, BCL DU wing President Mazharul Kabir in Surja Sen Hall, and Kabi Jasimuddin Hall BCL General Secretary Tanveer Hasan Saikat.
The protesters claimed they recovered a firearm around 10:30 am from room No. 344 at Surja Sen Hall, which belongs to the hall’s Chhatra League President Mazharul Kabir. Later, they vandalised the room.
Proctor Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan said the students recovered a firearm and deposited it at the hall office.
Mazharul Kabir did not answer a call when bdnews24.com attempted to get his statement on the firearm.
DU Chhatra League General Secretary Tanveer Hasan Saikat said the BCL leaders left the halls on their own accord to avoid any conflict. “We don’t want a clash but people pretending to be regular students vandalised the halls,” he said.
“Those who capitalised on the emotions of regular students will be unmasked soon. The university authorities will hand them the penalties they deserve.”
Hasnat Abdullah, one of the conveners of the ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement,’ said the group had not instructed students to vandalise any rooms. “The disgruntled general students drove them out of the halls. That’s because they aren’t students and they have tortured the regular students for a long time. Now the students have retaliated.”
Provost Standing Committee President Prof Md Iqbal Rouf Mamun told bdnews24.com that the provosts cannot ban politics in the dormitories. A Dhaka University Syndicate decision is needed on the matter.
But the provosts at different halls were obliged to sign the letters banning student politics due to pressure from the students, he said.
“We have told the students that we will accept all their demands except banning student politics because those are tied to their security. But the students did not accept it. So the provosts were compelled to sign the letters. However, the matter will be considered at a later time."
