From Leadership to Lockup: Four HSTU Officials Arrested Over Political Violence Allegations

Police have arrested four administrative officials from Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur, all of whom are affiliated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party. The detainees include BCL Vice Presidents Rabbi Sheikh and Sheikh Shah Asadullah Salehin Sourav, along with student leaders Shah Alam and Elias Dewan. Earlier this year, all four were appointed as administrative officials at the university.

The arrests were made on Monday (February 24) after university students, members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and the university administration detained the officials and handed them over to the police.

According to police, the four are accused in a case related to an attack on the motorcade of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in 2023. They are also accused of attempting to incite unrest on campus.

Students from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement alleged that these officials were appointed through corruption, favoritism, and the BCL quota during the tenure of the previous government. “This fraudulent recruitment deprived qualified candidates of their rightful opportunities, leaving thousands of deserving job seekers disheartened,” said one of the protesting students.

Confirming the arrests, Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Matiur Rahman stated, “We arrested four individuals who hold positions in the university’s Chhatra League chapter. They were handed over to us by the university administration and student protesters. Apart from the attack case, they were also involved in efforts to destabilize the university, including organizing BCL activities and distributing posters.”

The OC further added that the arrests were part of a broader operation, referring to it as a “devil hunt” aimed at maintaining law and order on the campus.