DU Central Field Incident: DUCSU Executive Member Sarbamitro Chakma Offers Unconditional Apology, Resigns

DUCSU Executive Member Sarbamitro Chakma has offered an unconditional apology over an incident in which outsiders were made to hold their ears and perform sit-ups at the University of Dhaka’s (DU) central playground. At the same time, taking moral responsibility for the unwanted incident and citing administrative non-cooperation and failure, he has announced his resignation from DUCSU.

He made the announcement in a post shared on a university students’ Facebook group on Monday afternoon, January 26.

In the post, Sarbamitro Chakma described the growing security concerns arising from unrestricted entry of outsiders into the university’s central playground and the Physical Education Centre. He alleged that although the field is designated exclusively for DU students, the presence of outsiders frequently leads to harassment of female students. Incidents such as mobile phone theft, wallet snatching, and bicycle theft have also become commonplace in the area.

Sarbamitro further stated that outsiders regularly enter the playground by climbing over the wall opposite Dhaka Medical College. When stopped, they often retaliate by throwing bricks at university staff. Despite repeatedly informing the administration about these issues, he claimed that no visible action had been taken, nor had the area been brought under CCTV surveillance.

Following widespread criticism after a video went viral on Sunday showing several teenage outsiders being forced to hold their ears and perform sit-ups, the student representative addressed the controversy in his post. He wrote, “Amid administrative failure and a lack of security, I was compelled to make the outsiders hold their ears and perform sit-ups in an attempt to manage the situation. This was in no way expected or desirable behavior. I acknowledge that punishing anyone in this manner was wrong, and for this incident, I offer my unconditional apology.”

Explaining the reason behind his resignation, he said, “I have failed to live up to the expectations with which students elected me as their representative. Bearing the responsibility of administrative non-cooperation and failure, I have decided to resign.”

DBTech/FBP/EK/OR