Student alleges BCL activists forced him to leave DU hall for Facebook post on fuel price hike

A final-year student of philosophy department at Dhaka University has alleged that a few Chhatra League (BCL) activists of Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall have been forcing him to leave the hall for his Facebook post on the recent fuel price hike.

Kazi Sakib Miah, said on August 6, 2022 he put up a post about the recent fuel price hike in a group and shared it on his Facebook timeline. Just after he put up the post, Abu Hasan Roni, also a student, called Sakib over the phone and asked him to return to Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall (the hall where Sakib lives).

After he returned to the hall, Hasan and one Mohiur Rahman Shanto, asked him the reason behind putting up the post and forced him to delete it from the group, Sakib further said. He, however, did not remove the post from his timeline.

After that the duo told him that if he wants to stay in the dormitory, he cannot write against Chhatra league on Facebook and would have to leave the hall if he does not stop criticising BCL, alleged Sakib.

"We cannot afford to get scolded by [BCL hall unit] president and seniors for your posts…under the shelter of Chhatra League, you cannot write anything that goes against their agenda," Sakib quoted Shanto as saying.

Later Shanto and Hasan asked him to choose between two options "Stop writing about BCL and shift from room-112 to room-1022 of the tin-shed building or leave the hall," Sakib added.

Since he refused to comply with either, on 15th August some BCL leaders including Shanto and Hasan, allegedly called him again and ordered him leave to the hall within a month.

He was eventually forced to leace the Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall on August 18.

Asked whether he had informed the hall authorities, Sakib said he did not as he said he noticed the authorities hardly take any steps regarding such matters.

Hasan has meanwhile denied the allegation and said they did not force him to leave the hall but did asked him to shift to another room.

This correspondent could not reach Shanto over the phone despite calling several times.

While talking to The Daily Star, provost of the hall Prof Masudur Rahman said, "No one submitted any complaint regarding this. We will look into the matter, if we get any complaint."