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Hundreds of DU students stay at mosques, corridors

Ex-student leaders occupy a large number of hall seats

Rakib Ahammed
Resident students of first and second semesters at Dhaka University (DU) continue to suffer the brunt of seat crisis compounded by former students still occupying rooms at the bills.
Over 1,000 male students have been living in inhumane conditions at different dormitories. The crisis is acute especially at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Haji Mohammad Muhsin Hal), Sir AF Rahman Hall
and Salimullah Muslim Hall.
There, over 500 students have been staying in mosques, corridors and 'Gono' rooms, four-bed rooms used to accommodate 30 to 32 boarders.
But none of halls and university authorities seems much concerned about their plight. There has been hardly any effort from the administration to allot the entrants rooms by evicting the former students, mostly belonging to JCD, the student wing of BNP
Several students living at the makeshift shelters told The Daily
Star that they could have been comfortably staying at halls if the authorities had forced the illegal occupants to leave.
"But that’s not going to happen as most of the house tutors and provosts are supporters of BNP and Jamaat-e-lslami and thus on the side of JCD cadres," said a student living in the AF Rahman Hall mosque for the last seven months. He was speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Talking to the Daily Star last night, DU Vice-chancellor Prof
DU students
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SMA Faiz said recognising the gravity of seat crisis the university authorities have decided to encourage students, those who can afford, to rent houses or rooms near the campus.
"The hall administration should take steps to rid the halls of illegal occupants and make room for the resident students," he observed.
For a place to sleep, new students have to throw themselves on the mercy of JCD leaders, who control the hall mosques, corridors and 'Gono' rooms.
Describing the ordeal they go through every night, Saifullah, an Islamic history student living at Bangabandhu Hall, said, "There's no way we can have some sound sleep here. While in bed on the floor, we can't move to our right or left since the room is usually stuffed full of students like us.
“To make things worse, new faces [those enrolled for academic session 2007-08) join the ranks on almost every night. Many of us prefer sitting on chairs at the reading room or wandering the streets on campus till the night is over.”
Rashed, a student of Zia Hall, said, "Even if anyone finds space to lie down he cannot get to sleep due to heat and bites of mosquito and other bugs. Some of us are already suffering from skin diseases."
Kabir, a second semester student of mass communication and journalism who spends night in the Bangabandhu Hall mosque, said, "Speaking at our faculty's reception ceremony for us [freshers], the VC sir said the seat crisis would soon be solved. Since then, seven months have passed, but I haven't seen any house tutor or anyone from the authorities visiting us to take note of the situation."
The story is the same at almost every hall. The number of 'Gono' rooms keeps growing also at Surya Sen, Zahurul Haque and Kabi Jasimuddin halls.
Students of Bangabandhu Hall alleged that despite repeated demands the hall authorities did not allocate them the two rooms adjoining the mosque that have been fell useless.
Following student demonstrations, the hall administration in February announced they would rehabilitate those without seats within then seven days. But that did notyet come about.
Asked about the crisis, Bangabandhu Hall Provost Prof Mohammad Mahfujul Islam said they would soon hand over two rooms near the mosque to the students and allot regular seats for them by next June or July.
"I have issued notices several times asking the non-students to leave the hall. But they don't comply with the orders," he said about those occupying seats even after completion of studies.
Queried if they have any specific plans to resolve the seat crisis in the long term, Provost of Muhsin Hall Prof Ahmed Jamal Anwar, also convener of the Provost Committee, said, "We have discussed the matter at the provost committee on a number of occasions but could not find a way out."
He added that without building new halls it is impossible to end the crisis.
About those in residence at the halls despite completing studies, he said, "Most of them are political leaders and are staying taking support from fellow activists.”
"Sometimes we conduct raids and evict them. But after a few days they return with help from the leaders and workers of their organ! -sations," he added.