BCL leaders forced out of DU halls amid protests over quota reform killings

Following the deaths of six people, including three students, in nationwide protests over quota reforms yesterday, Dhaka University students expressed their outrage against the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) by driving out its activists from most university halls.

Starting last night, students reportedly attacked several BCL members, vandalised their rooms, and expelled them from the halls.

Protesters specifically targeted the rooms of BCL Central President Saddam Hussain, General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan, DU BCL President Mazharul Kabir Shayon, and General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Saikat.

Out of the 19 DU halls, students took control of 17, excluding Jagannath Hall and Sir PJ Hartog International Hall.

Campus sources reported that many hall provosts were compelled to sign notices banning student politics within the halls due to the protests.

After 11:00pm last night, BCL leaders in Ruqayyah Hall were reportedly confined, beaten, and subsequently expelled from the hall. Prof Nelofar Parvin, the provost, was forced to sign a notice banning student politics.

Following the Ruqayyah Hall incident, the anger of the protesting students spread to other halls.

Students at Shamsun Nahar Hall, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, and Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall also forced their provosts to sign notices banning student politics.

The protests extended to male halls as students drove BCL leaders and activists out and obtained signatures from the provosts to ban student politics inside Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall, Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, and Amar Ekushey Hall.

Since Monday (15 July) afternoon, protesting students have barred BCL members from entering these halls and vandalised the rooms of BCL leaders two days ago.

Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the quota reform movement’s platform Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, urged students to stay united in a post on Facebook around 4:00am.

“If there are any obstacles, we will face them unitedly. From now on, the halls will be managed by general students. If obstacles arise, it will turn into a fight,” he wrote.

This morning (17 July), students continued to control the halls, vandalising the rooms of DU BCL President Mazharul Kabir Shayon and General Secretary Tanvir Hasan Saikat.

Protesters drove out BCL activists from Kabi Jasimuddin Hall, where Saikat resides, and later chased away hall unit BCL leaders to take control of Surja Sen Hall, dominated by Shayon.

The agitators also vandalised the rooms of Central BCL President Saddam Hussain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan at Sir AF Rahman Hall and Bijoy Ekattor Hall, respectively.

They have taken control of Sir AF Rahman Hall, where 34 BCL leaders from the hall unit resigned last night in protest against the attack on quota protesters.

BCL activists were also driven out of Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, and Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall.

BCL General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan denied that quota protesters took over the halls.

“As the university has closed indefinitely and instructed us to vacate the halls, we directed our activists to prepare to leave the halls in compliance with the university’s decision. While our activists were preparing to vacate their rooms, outsiders attacked us and vandalised many rooms, including mine and our president’s room,” he said.