The fall from prestige
ON the fifth of November an incident occurred on the campus of Dhaka University that elicited an outrage among many. Renowned photographer Imtiaz Alam Beg and his two nieces were brutally assaulted by a group of students, later identified as members of the Chhatra League. They were on a visit to the campus, near Curzon Hall when the attack took place, without provocation. Alam received six stitches to the head and his nieces were thrown on the ground and kicked mercilessly, their clothes ripped in the process. Outrageous as this incident is, unfortunately, it isn't the only one of its kind that has taken place in this prestigious university. Over the recent years, there has been a growing culture of crime in the Dhaka University area, perpetrated by Chhatra League members who are allegedly outside the control of their leaders. Incidents of muggings followed by assault have been widely reported, harassment of women, both students of DU and outsiders, is also rampant. Furthermore, there have been at least five incidents since January this year, of contract abductions, where the victims who are usually businessmen or from wealthy backgrounds have been locked up in Chhatra League dormitories and tortured till ransoms had been paid for them.
The place that was once the pride and joy of all Bangladeshis, a heritage site, where many a famous talent began its journey, has now been reduced to a hunting ground for the worst criminals. The number of arrests following these incidents have been few and the punishment negligible. A year of suspension for the abductions and a mere 4 months for physically attacking women is hardly setting an example for the perpetrators. The lack of accountability and severe consequences is perhaps the main reason the nature of the crimes are becoming more open and violent. The students of Dhaka University have failed to come forward with eye witness accounts either for fear of repercussion, as very little security is provided for them on the campus, or because they have witnessed enough incidents to become apathetic to the happenings around them.
Following Beg's incident, many students have placed blame on the victims, commenting on their clothes and attitude. The lack of empathy for the victims and understanding of this volatile situation on the campus was displayed yesterday at a protest at the Shaheed Minar about the November 5th incident. The protesters, who had taken prior permission from the university authorities for their gathering, were met with resistance from Chhatra League activists under the general students' banner. These students stood where the protest was originally to take place, loudly jeering and throwing bottles at the protestors. They sang the national anthem in attempts to drown out the voices of the protestors, without regard for the disrespect such an act entails. Despite the requests of the university Proctor for them to disperse and allow the protest to carry on peacefully, they continued their disruption, made lewd comments to the female protesters, followed them and tugged at their clothes. Are we to believe that the administration is hostage to these BCL activists, or are we to assume that it's simply unwilling to take a strong stance on the matter even though it reflects poorly on the reputed institution.
This blatantly shameful display by some Dhaka University students at a public gathering, on government-owned property, was unexpected and shocking to say the least. It shows just how much the values of the university have deteriorated over the years. It is high time the government and the DU authorities take heed of the disrepute these incidents have caused, and take the proper corrective measures to ensure the safety of anyone, whether student or visitor, who steps into the campus.
The writer is a Feature Reporter and Subeditor of the Feature Section of The Daily Star.
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