Accusing of social humiliation and cultural ragging, six students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) have once again demanded security in the campus.
They gave a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor on Monday, April 29, 2024 in the afternoon. After that, they gave a written statement at a press conference in front of BUET Shaheed Minar.
In the statement, the students said, “We have been harassed and insulted online and in person by a particular group at various times on campus. After the arrest of BUET students in Sunamganj in 2023, we were subjected to various accountability by the seniors of the department and hall due to the human chain.
They also said that BCL president and general secretary came while eating kachchi together at night – such a false information was spread in various groups and made us criminals. Even though the Vice-Chancellor assured us, there was no investigation report or punishment imposed on the culprits.
The students said, after this incident, new forms of oppression and social harassment started emerging. All of us were kicked out of the group. Kicked out of clubs. Sports are even declared undesirable from any program of the batch or department. Even asked not to share study materials with us.
They also said, “We had complained about the activities of fundamentalist organizations like Hizb ut Tahrir and Shibir on the BUET campus. Today BUET’s CCTV footage proves it. I request you (Vice-Chancellor) to take immediate action against those seen in that CCTV footage.
The students said that it is a threat to our lives to be together in the same campus with those accused of being associated with anti-state conspiracy in Tanguar Haore. Exposing the names and identities of secret groups of militancy is scary for us. We think someone from BUET must be behind the identity disclosure. I request them to be identified and handed over to the state security forces.
They also said, besides, those who are involved with them or are working from behind to keep them in everything, should be identified and handed over to the intelligence security forces for investigation.
The students of Chhatra League demanded an investigation report and punishment before the start of the next academic session.