2 Buet students' residential status suspended

The Sher-e-Bangla Hall authorities yesterday suspended the residential status of two students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) over allegations they were involved in militancy.

Hall sources said leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) searched the rooms of the second year mechanical engineering student and first year industrial and production engineering student around 2:00am and informed the hall authorities in the morning.

Director of the Directorate of Students' Welfare, Prof Md Delwar Hossain, told The Daily Star that the hall authorities found some "jihadist and Islami books" and those on "extremism", six cellphones and SIMs and "leaflets" in the rooms.

The accused claimed innocence, saying they were involved with Tablighi Jamaat (a movement to spread and preach Islamic values) and had kept the books for research purposes.

Prof Delwar said a meeting of the disciplinary committee would be held on the issue on Monday or Tuesday.

"We have informed the intelligence unit of a law enforcement agency and handed over the evidence to verify whether they have links with militancy," he added.

BCL Buet unit General Secretary Abu Sayeed Konok claimed that they had only "interrogated" the two at night.

Earlier on August 31, the Buet authorities suspended a student for one semester and cancelled the residential status of another three over similar allegations.