Hellish hazing
In 2009, Jahangirnagar University (JU) syndicate took a decision terming hazing a serious offence and recommended expulsion of the guilty. But nothing can apparently stop the unruly students from hazing the freshmen, causing physical and mental injuries to the latter.
On Wednesday night, a freshman of Jahangirnagar University (JU) was injured while being hazed at Shaheed Rafiq-Jabber (SRJ) Hall.
He received treatment at the university medical centre the same night. The student of environmental sciences department and a resident of the hall -- Ajwad Rahman -- left the campus yesterday for taking better treatment in the capital.
Contacted, Ajwad said he was one of the victims of hazing on that night. Asked about the details, he said he was in the capital and refused to talk anything more in this regard.
It is worth mentioning that, on February 9, a first-year student of computer science and engineering department allegedly lost his mental balance following ragging by some immediate senior students of his department.
Another first-year student of Bangabandhu Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture remained hospitalised at a health facility in Savar for two days after being mercilessly beaten up by some senior students over ragging issue on February 19.
In the recent incident, a bunch of second-year students suddenly entered the SRJ hall's "gono room" [common room of a dorm where freshmen are crammed into] around 10:30pm on Wednesday. At that time, around 30 students were staying at the room.
The seniors then ordered the freshmen to kneel down as punishment, said one of the victims, John (not his real name as he requested this correspondent to withhold his identity).
Later, the seniors also asked the juniors to hang from the room's window grille, said John, adding that at one stage, Ajwad fell on a steel trunk and received injuries in the leg and waist.
Ajwad was then taken to the university medical centre. Three of the senior students and some of his friends accompanied him. But they hid the incident and informed the doctor that Ajwad got injured after falling on the bathroom floor, said John. Soon the news of the hazing incident spread.
Yesterday, The Daily Star correspondent talked to the doctor who was on duty on Wednesday night.
The doctor said, "A student was brought to the health facility that night. I prescribed him an injection and some medicine."
But nobody disclosed the real matter to him, he said.
John said as they are first-year students, they do not know the names of all the seniors. The seniors normally do not disclose their names least media people should find their identities, he said. But he identified two -- Pappu, a student of public health and informatics, and Turag. Contacted, Pappu brushed aside the allegation. John said Pappu is one of the three senior students who accompanied Ajwad to JU medical centre on that night. In this regard, Pappu said he did not visit the medical centre either.
This correspondent called up Turag several times, but he did not pick up the phone. On condition of anonymity, another victim of hazing incident alleged that the seniors are involved in Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
As the hall unit does not have any existing BCL committee, this correspondent contacted JU BCL President Md Jewel Rana last night. He said, "We have already announced that if any BCL activist is found involved in ragging, stern steps will be taken against them."
Contacted, Prof ASM Abu Dayen, provost of SRJ hall, said, “I am not aware of the incident. If we get any allegation, stern action will be taken against the guilty.”
In March 2015, JU syndicate expelled three students for hazing a female student.