The Dhaka University’s Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall authorities ousted some girl students on Thursday night for their alleged involvement with the ‘quota reform’ movement that jolted the country last week. Some newspapers quoting unconfirmed sources said the number of ousted girl students could be 50. However, the DU Vice-Chancellor Friday admitted that three students were handed to their guardians for spreading “rumour” through Facebook.
Three or fifty, the number doesn’t matter. What matters is that girl students of DU, which has glorious legacies of historical movements, were ousted at dead of night. Simply, it is audacious. We think, not a single student can be expelled without any investigation. None has the authority to expel any student without sufficient evidence. Now there is a complaint that the students were expelled for opposing torture by the hall unit Chhatra League President, who was also earlier expelled and again restored by BCL and DU authorities.
Another ruling party’s student front leader’s news hits the headlines of media for his audacious activities. A video clip posted on Facebook Thursday, where Chattogram City Chhatra League General Secretary Nurul Azim Rony was seen assaulting UniAid Coaching Centre Director Rashed Miah for allegedly not paying Tk 20 lakh extortion. Rony was seen slapping Rashed again and again, grabbing him by the hair.
It was learnt that there were no business relations between Rony and Rashed. It is not his first incident. Rony was earlier arrested with a loaded pistol but released by getting bail.
It is a decades-old practice that ruling party’s student wing rules the colleges and varsities. Though there are proctors, hall provosts, house tutors, and other staffs, it becomes a common scenario in almost every educational institution in the country. This virtually has made the dormitories as custodies for ordinary students. We must say this culture in the educational institutions must be stopped.
It is a shame for the DU authorities, particularly for the Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall authorities’, who become oppressor instead of a protector.
Several students of that hall alleged they were threatened by the hall authorities as they were supporting quota reform movement. It is clear now, the role of the government, ruling party, DU authorities and the teachers of the university are seemingly doubtful over the issue.
The DU VC and Teachers’ Association opposed the movement primarily and expressed solidarity later when the Prime Minister accepted the demand after countrywide youthstorm. The BCL leaders and activists also attacked several times on the protesters on April 8-10 but expressed their solidarity on April 11.
The prevailing situation in Dhaka University, where most of the protesters are living, is not usual — we think. The DU authorities must refrain from doing injustice, and the campus should be free from any sort of intimidation. The ‘culture of terror’ should be stopped immediately.
It is the cyber crime unit of police department who can tell well whether the ousted students were involved in spreading “rumour” using social media. It is not a job of DU authority. This kind of incident is unbelievable in any civilized country where students of country’s top educational institution were forcibly thrown out to the street at midnight; whereas the DU VC is defending it in a shameless manner.
Only politicized teachers and gutless VC can take such an audacious step without getting any specific evidence. It is nothing but making happy the ruling high-ups and oiling the ruling party’s student front.
Strangely, there is no progress in issuing gazette notification regarding quota abolishment in public jobs despite PM’s announcement in the Parliament. We don’t understand why the government is delaying in publishing gazette notification.
Any move to suppress the general students’ demand may be boomerang for the government.
