A female student of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh observed a hunger strike in front of her dormitory yesterday, alleging that she was forced out of the hall for not joining a Chhatra League procession.

Afsana Ahmed Eva, a first-year student of Faculty of Agriculture and also a Chhatra Front activist, started the demonstration in front of Begum Rokeya Hall around 8:00am. She withdrew it two hours later when Proctor Atiqur Rahman Khokhon assured her of looking into the matter.

Eva alleged that some BCL activists from the same dormitory had been asking her to leave since she skipped a BCL procession on the campus on January 4. It was brought out marking the 70th founding anniversary of the pro-Awami League student body.

"As I did not join the procession, some Chhatra League activists, including Sinthi, Swarna, Ela and Shila, asked me to meet them in the hall canteen later that night and tried to force me to join the organisation," she told this correspondent yesterday.

The girl informed the hall provost, Prof Ismot Ara Begum, about the incident the next day. As the other girls kept threatening her, she submitted a written complaint to Ismot Ara on January 7.

"I was asked to leave on Sunday and Monday night as well. As I yet again refused to pay heed to them, they dragged me out of my room and asked me to go to the University Health Care Centre, where some female students are already staying after failing to get any seats in the halls," she said.

Around 12:15am yesterday, Eva went out of the hall but did not leave. Later, BAU Chhatra Front Secretary Israt Jahan Shapla went there and took Eva to her room in the same building.

Around 8:00am yesterday, Eva came out with all her belongings, sat in front of the hall gate and began the demonstration.

"The university's proctor visited me on the spot and asked me to file a complaint with him. I have already filed it," said the girl, who went back to her room.

Sinthi, one of the accused, denied the allegation.

"Everybody, including the general students, was annoyed by her [Eva's] behaviour. So, all of us requested her to move to the health care centre," she said.

The other accused BCL activists echoed Sinthi's views.

But Shapla, the Chhatra Front secretary, said all the BCL activists from the dormitory had been extremely rude to Eva, who moved in there a week ago from her home in Kushtia. Shapla demanded an investigation into the incident.

Sabuj Kazi, president of BAU Chhatra League, claimed that BCL has no involvement in the incident as it has no committee in the female dormitory.

Asked, he, however, said the accused students were BCL activists.

Hall Provost Prof Ismot Ara Begum also denied Chhatra League's involvement in the incident.

"Since all the other girls were wanting Eva to leave, I talked to her several times and tried to convince her to go to the health care centre where some 70 girls are staying due to ongoing renovation work of the hall," she said.

Md Shafiqul Islam, house tutor general of the dormitory, said a three-member probe body, headed by house tutor Nasreen Sultana, was formed to look into the matter.

"The committee was asked to submit its report within seven working days," he added.

"Action will be taken on the basis of the report," the proctor told The Daily Star last night.