A Dhaka University student has been beaten up allegedly by some Bangladesh Chhatra League men for contesting as an independent general secretary aspirant in the election to Salimullah Muslim Hall unit students’ council.

Farid Hasan, a master’s student of Urdu department, collected nominations form for the general secretary post but was forced to pull out of the election race in the face of threats and intimidation allegedly by BCL leaders, our campus correspondent reports.

Farid was also allegedly ousted from the hall by the “BCL activists” for the same reason days before the Ducsu elections held on March 11.

Talking to The Daily Star Farid said, he was sleeping at his room [no. 159], but around 11:30 pm yesterday, some BCL men led by hall unit vice-president Wasif Hasan Piyash went to his room and asked him to come out.

The BCL activists dragged him to the dining room where the hall union unit General Secretary Zulias Cizar, hall unit BCL President Tahsan Ahmed Rasel, Mehedi Hasan Taposh, expelled leader Mizanur Rahman Pikul were present, he claimed.

“Taposh pounced on me and yelled how dare I stayed at the hall,” he said.

The other Chhatra League men then started beating him with iron bars, sticks, cricket stamps, Farid then somehow managed to flee, he told the correspondent.

He took primary treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and 32 stiches were required to close the gashes from the right side of his forehead to his right ear.

Hall union general secretary Zulias Cizar, who was among the assaulters, alleged that Farid was involved with drug peddling and abuse.

But Farid denied the allegation saying that he was not sure why he was manhandled.

Cizar said a meeting between the hall union leaders and hall unit BCL was held on Monday night in which “Zero tolerance policy” was taken against narcotics and Chhatra Shibir.

“There are many allegations of drug dealing and abusing against Farid, hence, he was asked to vacate the hall. He was not beaten up by BCL men, if the general students beat him out of anger, then it is totally their matter,” Cizar said.

Sources at the hall said, the Chhatra Leauge leaders held grudge towards Farid as he collected nomination form to run the elections independently. The BCL leaders want to evict him from the hall, but he has acceptance among the general students.

The victim also filed a written complaint today with the proctor office attaching the details of assaulters, asking the proctor to take proper actions against them.

Asked about their steps, the hall provost Mahbubul Alam Joarder said they would form a probe body to verify the authenticity of the allegations raised against Farid and would take further actions following the probe report.