Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) used two rooms of Sher e Bangla Hall of Bangladesh University of Science and Technology (BUET)— 2005 and 2011, as torture cells, where students were regularly humiliated, abused and beaten up by BCL's BUET unit members.
Investigators of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch have uncovered iron rods, knives, ropes and cricket stumps from the rooms.
After talking to students, it was revealed that there are five political room at the hall and students were regularly tortured, allegedly led by BUET Chhatra League General Secretary Mehedi Hassan Russel at rooms 2005 and 2011.
They reportedly confiscated the laptops and phones from the students and tortured them in the name of checking the devices.
Not only did the BCL leaders call juniors, asking them to get cigarettes, tea and other items they disregarded the hall provost as well.
Now expelled BCL deputy general secretary, Ashimul Islam Bitu, deputy office secretary Mujtaba Rafid, deputy law secretary, Amit Saha, sports secretary, Meftaul Islam and research secretary, Anik Sarkar stayed in room 2011.
Second year electrical engineering student, Abrar Fahad, a resident of Sher-e-Bangla Hall was called to this room and beaten to death.
Acting OC of Chawkbazar police, Sohrab Hossain, said: “We seized the implements used to kill Abrar.”
BCL’s publication secretary and student of mechanical department Ishtiaq Hassan Munna lived in 2005 on his own and this room was used for parties.
Many senior Chhatra League leaders used to come and spend time here and general students who refused to take part in political acts were brought here and beaten up, informed students.
Dr Zafar Iqbal Khan, who stepped down from his post of Sher-e-Bangla Hall provost on Wednesday said that he had no idea of the torture cells.
“I never got any complaints of the presence of such rooms where students were roughed up”, he said.