Case Filed Against RUCSU GS, Eight Others Over Rajshahi University Assault

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The father of a Rajshahi University student who was allegedly dragged from an ambulance and assaulted during the July 27 violence on campus has filed a case against nine individuals, including RUCSU General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar and Assistant General Secretary Salman Sabbir.

Md Asad Uz Zaman lodged the complaint with the Motihar Cognisance Court, accusing the named individuals along with 17 to 18 unidentified persons of attempting to murder his son, Md Mahmudul Hasan Mahin, a student of the university's Sanskrit Department from the 2021–22 academic session.

The other accused named in the case are Nazmus Sakib, Mehedi Sanjib, Fahim Reza, Arifur Islam, Ahsan Ulla Faihan, Sifat Ar Saleh, and Nurul Islam Shaheed. The complaint was filed under multiple sections of the Penal Code.

According to the complaint, the accused, allegedly armed with iron rods, knives, bamboo sticks, and belts, chased Mahin between 12:30pm and 1:00pm on July 27 before surrounding and attacking him inside and outside the university's central library.

The complaint alleges that Salahuddin Ammar struck Mahin on the head and forehead with an iron rod, while Salman Sabbir also hit him on the head, causing injuries to his left eye. It further states that the remaining accused also took part in the assault.

The filing further claims that four of the accused pinned Mahin to the ground, pressed on his chest and throat, and attempted to suffocate him.

It also alleges that when teachers and other students tried to take Mahin to a hospital in an ambulance, the attackers pulled him from the vehicle and assaulted him again.

Mahin was later admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. His father said he first learned about the incident through Facebook at around 5:30pm on the day of the violence before finding his son receiving treatment at the hospital.

The complaint also alleges that the officer-in-charge of Motihar Police Station declined to register the case when approached on July 28 and advised the family to seek legal action through the court.

Advocate Hazrat Ali, representing the accused, said the court did not immediately take cognisance of the complaint and instead referred the matter to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) for inquiry. He also said Mahin's father had filed the complaint "out of emotion."

The July 27 violence reportedly began following a dispute at the university's proctor's office, where the RUCSU general secretary and other leaders accused another student, Anas, of having links to the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League.

Anas and several others were later accused of attacking the RUCSU office.

According to witnesses and videos reviewed by the newspaper, RUCSU leaders and activists, joined by members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, later entered the central library's reading room and assaulted three students. Videos also showed Mahin being pulled from an ambulance and beaten while teachers attempted to send him to the hospital.

Source: The Daily Star