After the Awami League's fall and the ban on Chhatra League, improvement in the overall atmosphere is quite visible at Dhaka University. The notorious "Gonoroom" and incidents of torture are mostly a thing of the past. However, some recent incidents, where students enforced vigilante-style moral policing have brought forth issues like student freedom and safety.

Operating outside the purview of university authorities, they enforce their own brand of morality and order to operate with impunity. Unlike BCL, these groups lack a visible structure, making them harder to identify and hold accountable.

A number of incidents involving these groups have recently been reported at the university.

In one of these incidents, Shimul Kumar Paul, a fine arts student and former president of Chhatra Union's DU unit, and his two companions were assaulted by a group of DU students claimed to be "controlling the crowd and managing traffic" while entering the campus on a rickshaw through the Nilkhet intersection on New Year's Eve.

Shimul informed them that they too were DU students. The group still dragged Shimul and the others off the rickshaw and began assaulting them, Shimul alleged. The attackers checked their bags and found a can of locally made beer.

The entire incident occurred in front of police officers, who remained silent spectators.

A video of the incident shows a student in a red T-shirt and black shawl grabbing one of Shimul's companions by the neck and shoving him towards the police. The student then grabbed the victim by the hair and neck. At one point, he slapped Shimul's companion in front of the police.

At least one of the attackers was identified, as MH Mobin, a student of Islamic history and culture and a resident of Sir AF Rahman Hall.

Only the proctorial team, Ansars, BNCC, and Rover Scouts are authorised to conduct searches and manage traffic.

— Saifuddin Ahmed DU Proctor

"My hand is hurting after beating this scoundrel… How is the body of a maal khor [alcohol consumer] so strong?" he boasted in a comment on a Facebook group of the university.

On the same post, Mohammad Shakir Hossain, a student of political science and resident of Masterda Surja Sen Hall, commented, "Mr Vice-President [indicating Shimul] was adamant about entering the campus on the rickshaw. So we got suspicious. We called in police, dragged them out of the rickshaw, checked their bags, and found the white bottles."

Contacted, Mobin said, "They misbehaved with us first, they were already drunk and were creating a scene. I was not there alone. The other students and I gave them a little beating. It was not much."

However, he could not answer who authorised them to conduct such searches and assaults.

Shimul said some members of the group were from Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Rover Scouts who misbehaved with Shimul and the two others, but did not assault them while the attackers were not wearing uniforms.

Shimul and his companions said they recognised some of the attackers as members of a DU group called "Campus Patrol".

Shimul said the gang handed them over to Nilkhet Police Station, from where they were transferred to Shahbagh Police Station.

He said Assistant Proctor Md Rafiqul Islam later arrived and told the police officers to give them "exemplary punishment so that no one dares to do such unethical acts on university premises again".

They were released after faculty members intervened the next morning.

Contacted, Assistant Proctor Rafiqul said, "After hearing both sides, I told the police to give them [Shimul and companions] the punishment they deserve as per the law. Then I left."

About the growing trend of moral policing on the campus, Rafiqul said, "This word [moral police] sounds nice. But no one should do whatever they want; there are rules and regulations."

When asked if students have the authority to search or assault others, he said, "Of course, I do not support students taking the law into their own hands. I have not seen the video you are talking about. If there are credible proofs, we will surely take necessary actions."

Contacted three days after the incident, DU Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed said, "That night, on-duty police and BNCC members stopped rickshaw passengers at Nilkhet for identification. The passengers on that rickshaw behaved abnormally, so the police took them to the station."

Regarding assault allegations, he said, "I have heard about it but was unwell and couldn't look into it. If true, those involved will be held accountable."

The following day, DU authorities formed a three-member investigation committee led by Assistant Proctor Mahbub as the incident drew flak from students and teachers, particularly the University Teachers' Network.

'SO LATE!'

On Saturday night, a female DU student and her male friend were allegedly assaulted while walking in front of the Arts Building by two students from Bangabandhu Hall and others. One of them studies geography. 

The group accused the female student and his friend of engaging in "indecent behaviour" on the campus. "I was on the phone, and my friend had briefly placed his hand on my back for a few seconds before they approached us," said the female student.

The group asked why she was outside late at night. "When I told them that it was my personal matter, they began hurling abusive words," she said.

"At one stage, they got very close to me. Thankfully, other DU students nearby intervened, forcing them to back off."

The Daily Star verified the incident with three eyewitnesses.

This newspaper received another video showing a group of students assaulting the pillion rider of a motorcycle as the vehicle was making excessive noise. They forced the rider to apologise and muffle the motorcycle.

The video, posted by Ali Asraf Emon, a student of DU's international business department, in a university group, read: "A chapri [South Asian slang] was caught in front of AF Rahman Hall. Students made him silence his bike. This is the reality, ha ha ha…."

Earlier, Mishu Ali Suhash, a student of a private university, said he was harassed while attempting to enter DU through Nilkhet on his motorbike on December 24.

'CAMPUS PATROL' CONTROVERSY

In November, Dhaka University student and journalist Nourin Sultana Toma alleged harassment by the Campus Patrol and others.

She said some students locked Suhrawardy Udyan's gate next to TSC, trapping hundreds inside. People scrambled to get out by scaling the railings, risking a stampede. Toma intervened and questioned the group's authority for such an action.

The students, led by Khaled Hasan and Hamza Mahbub, both assistant co-ordinators of the Students Against Discrimination, then falsely accused her of planning to "attack the proctor". They demanded ID, grabbed her phone, and tried to snatch it as she recorded the incident, Toma alleged.

"I lodged a complaint with the proctor's office, but no action has been taken yet," she said.

On October 28, DU student Raihan Ferdous posted a photo on Facebook with the caption, "Campus Patrol-DU, start of a dream." The image featured DU Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed, members of his team, student leaders, and others, seemingly at the launch of the Campus Patrol initiative.

An analysis of multiple Facebook posts from the same period reveals Campus Patrol members stationed at various DU entrances, enforcing no-vehicle entry rules, and performing tasks under the pretext of ensuring campus safety. However, the group reportedly disbanded after several allegations of harassment.

Despite claims that Campus Patrol had dissolved, this newspaper found that the group was operating under a Facebook page with the name Student Council for Ideal Campus (SCFIC).

Contacted, Raihan admitted renaming the "Campus Patrol DU" page to "SCFIC" rather than creating a new one but claimed the two groups serve different purposes.

"Campus Patrol was meant to be a joint effort with DU authorities. We expected training, certificates, and honorariums for assisting the proctorial team with crowd management and safety. None of that happened, so we disbanded," he said.

"SCFIC, though it includes former Campus Patrol members, is a different organisation. We'll identify campus issues and present proposals to the DU authorities but won't enforce anything ourselves."

Raihan denied any connection between Campus Patrol and the December 31 incident.

"If any student is involved with unethical behaviour, it is the responsibility of the administration, not common students, to address it," Raihan added.

Mentionable, this newspaper found no evidence linking Mobin to Campus Patrol.

In September, Tofazzal Hossain, a man with psychological issues, was apprehended by students of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall on suspicion of theft. He was beaten, fed, and then beaten again before he succumbed to his injuries.

The same month, photojournalist Jibon Ahmed encountered a gang of DU students at the Suhrawardy Uddyan gate near TSC. The students locked the gate, declaring, "This is not a place for adda."

When Jibon questioned their authority, he was surrounded and verbally abused. "Had I not been a recognised journalist, I am sure they would have lynched me," Jibon said.

In August, during negotiations with the proctorial team over the fate of tea stalls at TSC -- some of which are decades old -- a group of students allegedly interrupted, labelling the stalls as "unregistered", sites of "anti-social activities" and criticised female students for smoking there, at least five DU students involved with the incident confirmed. Following the disruption, the proctorial team issued a notice banning the stalls, which reopened weeks later.

A similar incident occurred at Madhur Canteen in late August when students misbehaved with manager Arun Kumar Dey, setting arbitrary prices.

Proctor Saifuddin said only the proctorial team, Ansars, BNCC, and Rover Scouts are authorised to conduct searches and manage traffic.

When asked about footage showing students in plain clothes policing alongside DU employees, he said, "Mobile team members can't always tell students to leave. It's sensitive."

He said a memorandum has been signed with Green Future, who will train students for cleanliness and traffic.

He also said there are concerns about threats of activities by the banned BCL, prompting some students to conduct personal search initiatives. "We don't support arbitrary searches or assaults. I've warned accused students and will probe all complaints," he added.