Dhaka University (DU) authorities have decided to revoke the residency of its two female students from its Ruqayyah Hall on allegations of "spreading invalid information through Facebook.”
On Jan 15, the students were served with show cause notices, which accused them of leaking audio clips as evidence of alleged corruption in recruiting staff for the residential hall for female students.
The two students are Falguni Das, the assistant general secretary of hall's students' union and Shrobona Shafique Dipti, who contested DUCSU polls in last year.
On Sept 3 last year, a group of Ruqayyah Hall students brought allegations against hall union Vice President Israt Jahan Tonni, General Secretary Sayma Akter Promi, DUCSU Cafeteria Secretary BM Lipi Akter and Bangladesh Chhatra League’s hall unit General Secretary Shrabony Islam of taking money promising jobs at the residential hall.
At a media call, the students, including Dipti and Das, said that monetary transactions were made for recruitment of three staffers.
Handing over three audio clips to media as evidence, they also claimed that hall authorities and its Provost Zeenat Huda colluded with the "recruitment traders" to smoothen the corruption.
Following the media call, Vice Chancellor Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman formed probe panels thrice over the matter before the last inquiry led by Prof Syed Farhat Anwar reported that no corruption took place in recruitment.
DU authorities have issued the show cause notice in the line with the findings of the Anwar-led inquiry, reads the notice.
Describing the act of the two students as “cybercrime,” the authorities asked the respondents that why their residency will not be revoked for “spreading invalid information and propagating against hall authorities intentionally.”
At a media call on Thursday (Jan 23), Shrobona Shafique Dipti said, “I have been accused even after providing the source of information [at the Sept 3 press conference].”
She argued since her issue has been described as a cybercrime, it should be dealt in court.
At the same press conference, Falguni Das said that students have the right to protest against any irregularities.
"The authorities have no jurisdiction to revoke my residency,” she said.