DU student protest organizer remains in police custody

A Dhaka University (DU) student, who was one of the coordinators of a recent demonstration demanding cancellation of the affiliation of seven colleges with the university, is still in police custody for interrogation. The detainee, Moshiur Rahman Sadik, is a final year student at the software engineering department. Sources say he was handed over to Shahbagh police on Monday night by the university’s proctorial team. But Proctor Professor AKM Golam Rabbani claimed that Sadik was picked up by law enforcers and was being interrogated over any possible links he might have with extremists. Rabbani declined to comment on why Sadik was handed over to police. Responding to a query, Shahbagh police's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Hasan said that Sadik was in their custody and that he would be interrogated further. Sadik, a resident of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, created an event in a closed group on Facebook titled “Dhaka University Paribar” on January 10 demanding cancellation of affiliation of seven colleges with DU. He played a key role behind the demonstrations held on the campus by a faction of DU students on Thursday and Sunday. On Monday, around 1pm Sadik along with around 500 fellow students, who boycotted their classes, started a sit-in demonstration in front of the vice-chancellor's office. Hundreds of leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League’s student front appeared at the scene around 2:30pm and urged the protesters to pick a five-member delegation to meet the VC. However, the students reportedly did not listen to BCL’s request. Several female students, who declined to be named, alleged that the BCL men hurled verbal abuses towards them, and assaulted them during the sit-in, in an attempt to make them leave. Witnesses say the Chhatra League specifically targeted Sadik. They picked him up and assaulted him inside the VC office. They also took away Sadik’s wallet and mobile phone. The university proctorial team later took him to the proctor's office for interrogation and then handed him over to police the same day.