SHAMSUNNAHAR HALL ATROCITY
No punitive action taken yet
The 11th anniversary of police atrocities in Dhaka University’s Shamsunnahar Hall was observed on Tuesday amid frustration for failure of the authorities concerned to
ensure punishment of the perpetrators involved.
Even one decade after the incident, neither any legal action has been taken against the people responsible for the incident nor has any recommendation of the probe body been implemented.
Talking to New Age, teachers, students and student organisations expressed their utter frustration as the perpetrators who led the atrocities on the students were yet to be brought to book.
On that day of 2002, policemen entered the hall at night, dragged the residents of the women’s hall, and abused and assaulted them as they were protesting at illegal stay of some leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in the hall. More than 50 students were injured.
After the incident, protests sparked on the campus against the then vice-chancellor Anwarullah Chowdhury and the proctor Nazrul Islam who in the wake of movement resigned from their posts.
Around 500 students, 5 teachers and 10 journalists were injured during the movement. Several hundred students were also arrested.
A one-member judicial inquiry commission with Justice M Tafazzal Hossain, after the movement, submitted a probe report with some recommendations to the higher authorities of the government blaming the VC, proctor, hall provost and police.
But neither of the full report has been made public nor has any punitive action been taken against the people responsible for the incident.
The incumbent vice-chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, also expressed doubt about the recommendations and punitive actions against the people responsible.
‘The files and papers would better say about it,’ Arefin said, ‘but so far
as I know action has been taken against the responsible.’
Leaders of student bodies demanded proper investigations of the police assault on female students and demanded exemplary punishment for the people responsible.
-With New Age input
