DU proctor, cops 'give in to BCL pressure'
Allegedly giving in to political pressure from Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Shahbagh Police Station yesterday freed two youths, who had earlier confessed to snatching a motorcycle, after taking a bond.
The duo are Fuad Alam, former vice-president of Dhaka University unit BCL and an MPhil student of political science department, and Mahtab, a DU master's student of anthropology department and a president aspirant of Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall unit BCL.
In complete contrast to his earlier assurance of taking strict action against the two, DU Proctor Prof MA Ali was compelled, under pressure from BCL, to recommend police in freeing the two, said several BCL leaders, requesting anonymity.
Investigation Officer MA Jalil of Shahbagh Police Station said the DU proctor negotiated the matter and got the duo to sign a bond which states that they can attend classes but can not stay in the campus and will be responsible if any such incident occurs again.
“Police faced no political pressure,” he said.
The two, residents of room 208 of Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall, were detained on Tuesday on charge of mugging a motorcycle three weeks ago from the campus.
The duo snatched a motorcycle from a first year student, Bijoy, of law faculty on April 10. But Bijoy was able to identify the snatchers at the hall on May 1, said sources.
Afterwards, the DU proctor handed them over to police as they confessed to their crime and recovered the motorcycle with police help.
Some BCL leaders threatened the motorcycle owner with dire consequences if he filed a case against the duo, said the anonymity-seeking leaders.
They said the duo confessed to their involvement with a motorcycle mugging syndicate active on the campus and adjacent areas since the present government came to power in 2009.
Their political affiliation kept them out of the reach of the law, till Tuesday's incident, they added.
The DU proctor said filing a case “will not bring any fruitful outcome”. “We are thinking of taking academic action,” he added.
Terming the mugging incident “shameful”, DU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said the university will take strict action against any student who commits crimes such as snatching motorcycles.
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