An incident of alleged abuse involving a student of Dhaka College’s Southayan Hall has emerged, implicating leaders of the college’s chapter of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (BJCD). On the night of October 7, Maruf Reza, a student from the English Department, was allegedly subjected to prolonged abuse from 1 AM to 4 AM. The accused include the BJCD’s Assistant Social Welfare Secretary, Habib Howlader Shihab, along with his associates Al Rahat, Salauddin, and Mahmudul Hasan Arnob.
On Tuesday, Maruf shared his ordeal in a Facebook post, stating, “I am Maruf Reza, a second-year student of Dhaka College’s English Department. Last night, I went through the most horrific chapter of my life.” He went on to describe how he was tortured for three hours in room 301 of Southayan Hall from 1 AM to 4 AM.
Maruf detailed the incident, saying, “It started when Salauddin bhai (brother) was using foul language in the room. I requested him not to use such language as there was a younger student nearby. He got enraged and charged at me to hit me. My roommate Ramim and Rahat bhai from the fourth floor tried to intervene but were also verbally abused. Later, Rahat bhai called Siyab bhai from North Hall, locked the room, and tortured me from 1 AM to 4 AM.”
Maruf added that when he attempted to call the teachers, he was threatened and warned not to speak to anyone about the incident, with threats of violence against him. He called his friend and class representative (CR) Imran for help, who arrived at the hall around 4:30 AM and escorted him to the college gate. Maruf then took refuge at a senior’s room in Dhaka University and returned home the next morning.
A 24-minute audio clip from the incident has been leaked, where Maruf can be heard being abused verbally and physically. At one point, the perpetrators can be heard threatening him, asking, “Who will save you? Who is your senior? Call him.” This was followed by sounds of blows and continuous use of foul language throughout the clip.
Al Rahat, one of the accused, denied the allegations of abuse, claiming, “It wasn’t torture. We were just talking to him. The boy misbehaved and didn’t apologize, and instead threatened to bring a senior. If someone misbehaves with a guest in my room and doesn’t apologize, how can he stay in the room? We didn’t hit him, just scolded him. When someone doesn’t apologize and remains silent, it’s natural to get angry.”
Shahinur Rahman Shahin, the president of Dhaka College BJCD, acknowledged that Maruf was one of their members, saying, “He was with us during our program just yesterday. This is an internal matter among ourselves, and we are handling it, Insha’Allah.” He added that Maruf’s account of the incident was exaggerated and influenced by other groups. “However, if we find the accused guilty after talking to both sides, we will take organizational action,” Shahin said.
Jahangir Alam, the provost of Southayan Hall, vowed to take strict measures, stating, “If I don’t take serious action now, this could happen in other rooms as well. I will take measures that will serve as a lesson for the future.” He mentioned that Maruf had left for home, and since he was not present at the hall, no action had been taken yet. The provost assured that the college principal had been informed, and strict action would be taken against any breach of discipline in the hall.
Dhaka College Principal Professor KM Ilyas confirmed that the provosts were investigating the incident, and action would be taken based on their report. “We do not want any incident, no matter how small, to happen here,” he added.
