BCL leaders beaten up, forced out of most DU halls overnight

After six deaths, including those of three students, in nationwide violence over quota protests yesterday, Dhaka University students beat up BCL activists, vandalised their rooms and drove them out of most of the halls from late last night until morning today.

Still seething with rage over the deaths of fellow protesters, they trashed the rooms of BCL Central President Saddam Hussain, General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan, DU BCL president Mazharul Kabir Shayon, and General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Saikat.

They also beat up and drove out numerous Chhatra League leaders and activists from the halls.

Among the 19 DU halls, students took control of 17, excluding Jagannath Hall and Sir PJ Hartog International Hall, and drove out BCL members from those halls.

Campus sources said many hall provosts were forced to sign notices banning student politics inside halls.

The students' action against the pro-ruling party student body started around 11:00pm last night, when they confined and beat up BCL leaders of Ruqayyah Hall, and later drove them out.

Prof Nelofar Parvin, the provost, was forced to sign the notice banning student politics amid protests by students late into the night.

Following the incident at Ruqayyah Hall, the anger of protesting students against the BCL spread to other halls.

Female students from four other halls -- Shamsun Nahar Hall, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, and Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall -- came out and forced the provosts to sign notices banning student politics inside the halls.

The anger against BCL soon spread to various other halls, including Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall, where students protested inside the gate after driving leaders and activists of the BCL out of the hall.

The protesting students obtained signatures from the provosts to ban student politics inside Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall, Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, and Amar Ekushey Hall.

Since Monday afternoon, protesting students have not allowed BCL members to enter these three halls, and two days ago, they also vandalised the rooms of BCL leaders in these halls.

Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the quota reform movement's platform Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, posted on Facebook around 4:00am early this morning.

He wrote, "Stay united. If there are any obstacles, we will face them unitedly. From now on, the halls will be managed by general students. If obstacles arise, it will turn into a fight."

Students continued to control the halls this morning.

The halls of Dhaka University unit Chhatra League President Mazharul Kabir Shayon and General Secretary Tanvir Hasan Saikat were vandalised in the morning.

Later, protesters drove out BCL activists from Kabi Jasimuddin Hall, where DU BCL General Secretary Tanbir Hasan resides.

Around 10:00am, they chased away the hall unit BCL leaders towards the VC premises to take control of Surja Sen Hall, dominated by DU BCL unit leader Mazharul Kabir Shayon.

The agitators also vandalised the rooms of Central Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan at Sir AF Rahman Hall and Bijoy Ekattor Hall respectively.

They have taken control of Sir AF Rahman Hall where 34 BCL leaders from the hall unit resigned last night protesting the attack on quota protesters.

Chhatra League activists were also driven out of Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, and Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall.

BCL General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan said the takeover of halls by quota protesters was not true.

"As the university has closed indefinitely and instructed us to vacate the halls, we directed our activists to prepare to leave the halls in compliance with the university's decision. While our activists were preparing to vacate their rooms, outsiders attacked us and vandalised many rooms, including mine and our president's room."