Dhaka University’s decision to bar outsiders from the campus has drawn flak from several quarters, including students, academicians as well as alumni, who say the move goes against the very character of the country’s apex educational institute.
On Tuesday (Jul 10), the university said that outsiders would be no longer allowed to enter, roam around or hold any kind of activities on the campus without the prior permission.
The announcement created a firestorm in the social media, where users slammed the authorities saying it was an ominous sign and may trigger further instability on the campus as well as leaves the room to be outsiders harassed.
In a media release, the university said that the decision came from a provost committee meeting on July 5 in the backdrop of "untoward incidents over the quota reform movement".
It said the authorities will seek the law-enforcement agencies’ help on the matter if needed.
The meeting also agreed to urge authorities of all residential halls to remain alert about the presence of any militant and extremist groups.
It also decided to remove anyone not enrolled as a student from the halls.
Guests or guardians of students will also be not allowed to enter the university premises without permission.
Dhaka University campus had been the central site of protesters demanding reforms to quotas in civil service.
Former students came down hard on the authorities saying the move effectively squeezes the space for free-thinking.
“This is not only a university; it’s also a safe haven for free thinking. Everyone has the right to come here,” Khairul Kabir Manik, who studied at the Business Faculty, told Bangla Tribune.
Seeking permission will obviously lead to hassle, according to Manik, who now works for a bank. “What kind of message are the authorities sending?”
Several other former students told Bangla Tribune that a meeting with friends after work on the campus is like a daily chore for them. “The university is off-limit to its former students! This is too much.”
Some of them, however, hailed decisions like, non-students not allowed to remain in residential halls and the alert on terror activities.
Academician Syed Anwar Hossain slammed the Dhaka University for the decision, which he described as ‘unreasonable and unimplementable’.
“The DU campus is located at the centre of the city. There are several roads that crisscross the campus and used by the people. How will they identify outsiders! ”
The university should rather focus on how to create a congenial atmosphere, lessen teachers’ involvement in politics and engage them more in research activities, according to Hossain.
The DUCSU election is not being held for more than 30 years, he said before adding: “The same case is for the Senate Election. The government itself is violating the 1973 Act ... it’s appointing VCs. It’s only natural that the campus is volatile.”
Senate member Prof Nazma Shahin, however, said she found the move necessary.
“The authorities had to take a somewhat stern position in the wake of the situation,” the chief of Nutrition and Food Science Institute told Bangla Tribune.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Aktaruzaman said on Tuesday that they will put up security check-posts at the all the entrances of the campus.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, he said they were forced to take a tough stance as the “a spontaneous movement was being spoiled due to the presence of some evil forces”.
Dhaka University teacher Fahmidul Haque, however, brushed aside the authorities’ explanation and said the move targeted quota reformists.
“The statement (by the provost committee) did not define outsiders,” the Journalism and Mass Communication teacher told Bangla Tribune.
Unlike other universities, the Dhaka University has no boundary walls and since it’s at the centre of the city, people have to use the roads crisscrossing the campus, he said.
“Besides this, there are several historically important sites on the campus, Central Shaheed Minar, Raju Memorial, Doel Chattar. We have no right to bar the people from visiting these sites,” said Haque reiterating that the move targets the demonstrators.