No action yet for assault on lensman, nieces at DU

It all happened in broad daylight and at a place like Dhaka University.

On Wednesday afternoon, four youths assaulted noted photographer Imtiaz Alam Beg and his two nieces on the campus without any provocation.

Imtiaz, son of legendary photographer Manzoor Alam Beg and principal of Begart Institute of Photography, needed six stitches in the forehead, while the attackers tore up the clothes of his nieces. "What happened with us is beyond our imagination," he said.

He filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station accusing four unknown persons.

Nobody has been arrested yet.

Contacted, DU acting proctor Prof Amzad Ali said he heard about the incident. "We are working to find out the attackers."

One of the nieces told The Daily Star, “We were sitting by the Shahidullah Hall pond [near Curzon Hall].

“The four came and asked us whether we are students. As we replied in the negative, they just said the place is not a hangout and started beating us.”

Her younger sister, who graduated from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of DU, had been in Canada for two and a half years. Returning home recently, she wanted to visit the campus.

“My parents were students of the university and my younger sister graduated from the IBA. We have deep feelings for the university and we knew Curzon Hall as one of the safest places to hang around,” said the elder sister, a graduate from the University of Texas.

The whole incident lasted about five minutes. Several small groups were there but none said a word, she added. 

“Nobody even replied to our queries on the attackers' identities. Later from newspaper reports, we came to know that they [the four] were Chhatra League activists.”

Aminul Islam, president of Shahidullah Hall Chhatra League, said if they could identify the four, they would give the names to the university authorities.