A ragging incident at Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall of Bangladesh Agricultural University has led to the expulsion of 27 students for one year. The hall provost, Professor Bazlur Rahman Molla, confirmed the decision on Monday, emphasizing the university’s commitment to discipline.
Among the expelled students, 26 are from the 1st and 2nd years of their honors program, and one is a Master’s student.
The incident took place on Saturday night around 9 PM, when freshers were called to the reading room. They were asked to leave their phones in their rooms and were told strange and unreasonable rules, such as no riding bicycles, no going to the second floor, having to greet seniors multiple times a day, no wearing lungis, and not bringing laptops to the library or going to the canteen.
Although third-year students first spoke to the freshers and listened to their concerns, things got worse when second-year students started verbally abusing them and making them follow unreasonable demands. One fresher became very scared and fell ill.
After the incident was reported, the university administration and hall authorities started an investigation. A total of 52 students were found to be involved, with 27 being from the hall and 25 from other halls.
Professor Mohammad Saifullah, Associate Advisor for Student Affairs, confirmed that the 27 students living in the hall have been expelled for one year. Further action will be decided by the committee. The university also plans to take action against students who were staying in the hall without permission.
The administration has made it clear that ragging is not allowed, and they are taking steps to ensure the safety of all students on campus.
Source: Prothom Alo
