Midnight eviction from women's hall

We are appalled to learn that Dhaka University authorities handed three students of Sufia Kamal Hall over to their guardians in the early hours of April 20. Their alleged offence, spreading rumours. This action of the hall authorities is regrettable and defies sense of common decency. Could this not wait till morning? The vice chancellor of the university told reporters that it was done to "safeguard the dignity" of the hall. What it actually managed to do, instead, was taint the university's image.

Would one be remiss to suggest that this unprecedented action was to chastise students who took part in the quota reform movement? According to media reports, many student protesters now fear reprisals from DU administration and Chhatra League which dominates the campus.

This newspaper reported that the provost of Sufia Kamal Hall was purported to have threatened the students with government and intelligence surveillance for their online activities. She even threatened to expel all of nearly 2,000 students of the dormitory, if necessary.

Is this the normal sequence of actions against such alleged offence? Was not an impartial enquiry in order to ascertain the veracity of the allegation? The entire saga is ignominious for the university that we know as the beacon of our democratic values.