Md Joynal Abedin Khan :Panic prevails in thousands of bachelors’ messes in the capital and other parts of the country following alleged harassment and fear of arrest by cops during the massive drive to maintain law and order after the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks.But law enforcers claimed that they accelerated raids everywhere, manly in bachelor messes and remote areas, based on confessional statements of detained militants and detective reports to curb criminal acts.In this circumstance, the parents, guardians and relatives of millions of tenants, especially the bachelors and admission seekers, are passing an uneasy time to observe the police’s massive raids in the messes.Even fear has been intensified among house owners by experiencing the recent arrest of few house owners and also announced ultimatum by the law enforcers to be cautious while renting houses to the tenants. Mohammad Hasan Ali, a guardian, told The New Nation, “Around 10 lakh students have been living at bachelors’ messes as most of the colleges and universities of the city do not have sufficient seats for all these students. We are passing uneasy time as our children told us that police may raid their messes in any time. As far I believe that mass people always fear police search or raids.”He further added: “Besides, more than three lakh students have been admitted to different coaching centers in the capital and they are in panic because of the recent police raids.”Tamanna Begum, a house owner at Shewrapara said, “I have vacated my flats to bachelors as they are now target of law enforcers.”Sheikh Fazlur Rahman, a tenant in Fakirapur area, alleged, “Most of the police personnel have started extortion business by creating panic of fresh cases and arrest during their drives.” He claimed that police expedited their illegal trade with the help of their informers and local cohorts from ruling party men.If some one refuses to pay extortion or other demand of the ‘extortion gang’ then he or she fell into police trap relating to cases or female scandals, he added. Dhaka University’s History Department ex-student Asaduzzaman Milon, said, “Bachelor tenants are passing a miserable time due to police raids without any definite allegation .”Police prefer to raid in the messes to take illegal money from borders showing arrest in militancy case or other baseless cases, he said. “We are bound to live in messes in problems as we have no chance to take a full unit of flat, and panic of police raid has made our lives almost unbearable,” he added.Limon Hossain, a student of Social Work Department of Jagannath University, said, “I live in a mess in Azimpur Government Officers quarter as we have no residential halls. I always feel panic of police raid in our mess.” He asked, if police detained me, who will release me?Noyarul Haque, a student of Dhaka International University, said, “When I along with some of my friends went to rent a house at Jhigatola in the city, most of the owners said they do not provide flats to the bachelors. However, an owner agreed to rent a flat to us but he demanded more advance money because we are bachelors.”Shishir Shutradhar, a student of Govt Titumir College, who came from Satkhira also expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “Bachelors are often seen to reside usually either on the top floor or ground floor in some old and outdated risky buildings, suffering troubles helplessly.”Dhaka University acting Proctor Professor M Amzad Ali told The New Nation, “We have residential facilities for less than 10,000 students in 17 halls though the number of learners is over 40,000. If any non-residential student feels trouble and inform us then we take necessary steps for him or her.” He also said that law enforcers should not detain students without specific allegation against them.Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzam Mia said that they have started a drive to collect information of house or apartment owners and their tenants in the capital in an effort to curb crimes in the city.He said that they geared up the drive following the recent militant incidents in Gulshan and Sholakia.He requested the owners and tenants to fill up the police information form according to the earlier announcement.The DMP chief rejected the allegation of extortion business during the drive and said that police are filing cases after verifying the information of any detained person.
