Torture of student: IU BCL leader appears before probe body

 

IU Live: Kushtia's Islamic University (IU) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student organisation of the ruling Awami League, on Monday appeared before the university's inquiry committee to reply to the allegations against her over 'torturing and undressing' a fresher of Finance and Banking department of the university.

The prime accused, IU BCL unit vice-president Sanjida Chowdhury Antara and her cohort Tabassum, appeared before the IU inquiry committee convener Professor Reba Mondol's office at Mir Mosharraf Hossain Academic Building amid tight security measures in the morning.

The accused left the campus after her meeting with the inquiry committee formed by the university administration, IU proctor Professor M Shahadat Hossain Azad said.

Tabassum said, "I told the inquiry committee whatever happened on that day." However, she declined to say further details.

Sanjida Chowdhury Antara also declined to tell anything else regarding the allegations brought against her by the victim.

The probe body member secretary deputy registrar Alib Uddin of IU academic section, IU hall provost council president Professor Debashish Sharma and assistant proctor Murshid Alam Akash were present during the meeting with the accused.

Professor Reba Mondol, convener of IU probe body, declined to say what they found in the inquiry publicly.

They would try to submit their inquiry report in time, she added.

Accused BCL leader Antara and activist Tabassum left the hall following the High Court order on Thursday.

Kushtia district administration, however, formed a three-member inquiry committee comprising additional district magistrate ANM Abujar Gifari, senior judicial magistrate Mahmuda Sultana and IU assistant proctor Shahbub Alam and asked it to submit its report within seven days following the High Court order.

Meanwhile, the pro-BNP teachers and officials of the university formed a human-chain protesting at the ragging incident committed by the IU BCL leader and activists.

They demanded examplary punishment of the accused involved in the incident through proper investigation.

On February 12 night, a group of BCL activists led by Antara and her associates including Tabassum went to the victim's room and reportedly assaulted and tortured her.

Antara, at one stage, forced the victim to get undressed and videoed the incident on her mobile phone.

The BCL leader also threatened that she would make the video viral on social media if the victim disclosed the matter to anyone, according to the complainant.

The victim lodged a written complaint with the university administration, including the university proctor, student adviser and the hall provost, demanding punishment of those involved in the incident on February 14.

A writ petition was also filed by Gazi Mohammad Mohsin, an alumnus of the university and a lawyer, with the High Court on Thursday.

The HC on the same day ordered the accused to leave the hall and the university administration to look into the matter seriously, and submit a report in this regard within the next 10 days.

It also asked the deputy commissioner of Kushtia to form a three-member probe body to further inquire into the incident, and submit a report within the next seven days.

Dhaka, 20 February (campuslive24.com)//BSC

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