Violence at Rajshahi IHT: BCL expels 4 leaders

Bangladesh Chhatra League's central committee expelled four leaders of the Institute of Health Technology (IHT) in Rajshahi for their involvement in assaulting five female students on Wednesday.

They expelled are: BCL president of the institute's unit Jahidul Islam, vice-presidents Faisal Ahmed, Mizanur Rahman, and general secretary Anwar Hossain, said Rockey Kumar Ghosh, president of Rajshahi city unit BCL, pro-Awami League student body.

The city unit also dissolved the institute's BCL committee in an emergency meeting on Wednesday night. It asked the central committee to expel the four from the organisation.

The central committee expelled the four verbally at that night and posted an official notice on its Facebook page yesterday, said Rockey.

Students of the institute said the BCL committee was formed for a year around four and a half years ago.

The institute was closed for an indefinite period on Wednesday after the BCL leaders assaulted five female students on campus. All the students were also asked to leave their dorms by 3:00pm that day.

The female students were attacked allegedly by a group of BCL men, led by Jahidul, when they were going to their dorms accompanied by the principal.

The assault followed incidents over the last three days in which BCL men threatened the women with gang rape in broad daylight on campus.

Students said the BCL men had started intimidating women in the dormitory after they opposed BCL's proposal to form a human chain on campus on Sunday. The women wanted to hold the programme in the city's Zero Point area.

Demanding security on campus, about 100 women staged a sit-in on Wednesday morning. They also submitted a complaint before the principal against several BCL leaders.

Some female students alleged that the BCL men often entered their dormitory and collected illegal tolls from them. They often threatened with harassment when they refused to pay the toll, the students alleged.

Contacted, Institute of Health Technology Principal Sirajul Islam said he did not get any complaints against the BCL men before Wednesday's incident. “We will look into the allegation."

Expelled BCL president Jahidul dismissed the allegation.

Meanwhile, rights body Ain o Salish Kendra in a press release yesterday condemned the assault on female students by BCL leaders.