Bangladesh Chhatra League Rajshahi University unit personnel today allegedly ousted a residential student from Sher-E-Bangla A K Fazlul Haque hall, when he was told by BCL men to leave the room last night.
Aqib Javed, the victim student, alleged that members of the ruling party student front’s campus unit told him to leave Room #129 of the hall, where he has been residing for the last few months. In fact on Monday night they already forced him out of the room.
“I was staying in this room for last few months but suddenly Bangladesh Chhatra League men came, along with Ratul bhai, who is the president of BCL’s Sher e Bangla hall unit, to my room last night and threatened me to leave. I am a residential student, but I was replaced by a non-residential student named Kamol. That’s why I didn’t agree to give up the room,” relayed Aqib.
“But today at around 9.30 they came and threw out my belongings,” the beleaguered student said. What is more shocking is that when he took the matter up with the university authorities, they feigned the same inertia and familiar lack of initiative that is becoming the norm on campuses all too often, when it comes to dealing with Chhatra League.
“Hall provost allotted me this room (#129). But after the incident, they are now asking me to stay in another room, from the abandoned ones. Why should I go to that room?” questioned Javed.
Refuting the allegation, Mostafizur Rahman Ratul, the BCL leader specifically mentioned by Aqib as having visited him Monday night, said to this reporter, “It’s a false allegation against us that we ousted Aqib from the room. Rather he occupied room #129 without informing the hall authority or us. He was staying in that room sharing the seat with another student.”
“Whenever one of the seats in that room was left, Aqib occupied the seat without informing the authority. But as far I know, Komol, who is now staying in that seat, booked the seat previously.”
Asked if a non-residential student can occupy or stay in a hall seat, Ratul said, “Komol is a senior. He has already applied for residence, which is in process.”
Our campus correspondent managed to have a brief word with the hall provost, Dr. Habibur Rahman.
“The student claiming to be the victim did not inform me when he was forced out of the room. The student who left the room, making the seat fall empty, also did not inform me or the hall authority officially. That’s why it was not my concern that the seat was empty.”
“However, I arranged a room for the student provisionally (Aqib and the room he does not want) and investigating what actually happened so far,” said Dr Habibur.
Yet in any normal campus situation, surely it would be the student enjoying the Chhatra League’s endorsement, for lack of a better word, i.e. aforementioned Komol, who should be in provisional accommodation, while the issues over the correct status of Room #129, if indeed there are any, get sorted out.