DU Demo Coordinator: Roughed up by BCL, now in custody

A Dhaka University student, who was picked up on Monday by some BCL men during a demonstration on the campus demanding cancellation of affiliation of seven colleges with DU, is in police custody for interrogation.

Moshiur Rahman Sadik, one of the coordinators of the protest, was taken to the vice-chancellor's office and later to the proctor's at the Arts Faculty before finally being handed over to Shahbagh Police Station.

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Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani claimed that Sadik, a final year student of the software engineering department, was picked up by law enforcers and being interrogated by them.

His friends and fellow students had been in the dark about his whereabouts since Monday afternoon.

Although Shahbagh police initially denied keeping Sadik in their custody, Officer-in-Charge Abul Hasan of Shahbagh Police Station yesterday afternoon said the student was in their custody for quizzing.

A resident student of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Sadik on January 10 created a closed group on Facebook titled “Dhaka University Paribar”, demanding cancellation of the affiliation.

Sadik played a key role in organising the student protest on the campus on Thursday and Sunday.

Around 1:00pm on Monday, he along with some 400 DU students boycotted classes and started a sit-in protest before the VC office, the protesters said.

Several hundred leaders and activists of Chhatra League, pro-Awami League student body, soon reached the scene and called upon the protesters to pick a five-member delegation to meet the VC.

As the students refused to comply, the BCL men hurled abuse at the female protesters and misbehaved with them in the presence of the presidents and general secretaries of different BCL hall units, complained protesters.

The students further alleged that Chhatra League leaders, including Bangabandhu Hall unit General Secretary Al-Amin Rahman, picked up Sadik from in front of the VC office and allegedly assaulted him inside the office. They snatched his wallet and mobile phone.

The entire incident was recorded on cameras of journalists and students. At one stage, BCL leaders roughed up two reporters and snatched their mobile phones while they were capturing the incident.

The BCL leaders took Sadik to the VC's room where they held a meeting with the VC. Then the university proctorial team took him to its office and grilled him for hours before handing him over to police.

Meanwhile, some DU students will form a human chain at the Aparajeyo Bangla today, protesting the harassment of female students by BCL men.

Pragatishil Chhatra Jote, an alliance of leftist student organisations, will also bring out a procession from in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at noon today, said its leaders.

Contacted, DU BCL President Abid Al Hasan denied the allegation of picking up Sadik.

“We didn't pick him up. Rather, he went to the office willingly to discuss the issue with VC,” said Abid.