Ruqayyah Hall authorities cancel two students’ seats

Dhaka University’s Ruqayyah Hall authorities have decided to cancel seat allotment of two resident students for raising allegations of recruitment business, and spreading propaganda through a recorded phone call.

The duo -- Shotontro Jote leader Shrobona Shafique Dipti and hall union’s Assistant General Secretary Falguni Das Tonni -- were also served show-cause notice respectively for the two allegations on January 15.

“You provided false information from your Facebook account claiming that there were irregularities centring appointment of some staffer posts, which were proved wrong during investigation. Since you played the primary role in tarnishing the image of [this] hall and circulated untrue information, the decision of cancelling your seat allotment was taken unanimously at the house tutors’ meeting,” reads the notice issued to Shrobona.

Falguni was accused of recording a conversation in which she spoke with a staffer named Shahin Rana about the “recruitment business” and circulating it on Facebook.

Both students were asked to respond to the notices within seven days, explaining why their seat allotment should not be cancelled.

On September 3, a group of students of the girls’ dormitory at a press conference alleged that Ruqayyah Hall Union vice president, general secretary and other Chhatra League leaders of the dormitory had taken around Tk 21 lakh from three individuals for cleaner and security guard appointment.

A conversation between Falguni and hall staffer Shaheen Rana was also leaked at that time.

On September 3, a three-member probe committee was formed by the university administration which after conducting a four-month long  investigation, stated that they found no evidence of “recruitment business”.

Vice Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman presented the investigation report on December 29, which said propaganda was spread intentionally to tarnish the image of the university.

A copy of the notice to Shrobona was forwarded to Prof Mahbuba Nasreen, director of DU’s Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, of which Shrobona is a master’s student; DU proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani and to the student’s guardians.

No copy of the notice to Falguni was sent to her department, rather copies were sent to Chhatra League’s central president Al Nahian Khan, its general secretary Lekhak Bhattacharya, BCL DU unit president Sanjit Chandra Das and its general secretary Saddam Hussein.

Employee Shahin Rana was also inquired about the authenticity of the conversation.

All of them have responded to the notices.

Contacted, Shrobona said, “Since I got the information about the ‘recruitment business’ on the night before the appointment, I was left with no choice other than revealing the information on Facebook.”

Falguni Das claimed she did not record the phone call.

Talking to The Daily Star, Prof Zeenat Huda, provost of the dormitory, said they have received replies to the show-cause notices and will take final decision after scrutinising those at a house tutors’ meeting.