Activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) at Dhaka University’s Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall have displayed a banner titled “Guestroom er Amolnama” (Account of the Guestroom) as part of an awareness against the culture of “guestroom” and “gonoroom” (mass room) harassment.
The banner, which was put up in the hall’s guestroom on Sunday night, features various Facebook’s Messenger screenshots allegedly documenting the involvement of six individuals in student suppression and torture.
Hall-level JCD leaders stated that the initiative aims to warn newcomer students about the harassment prevalent during the previous government’s tenure.
The screenshots, which were reportedly shared by several students, show conversations involving leaders of the hall union and Islami Chhatra Shibir regarding “guestroom” activities.
Samsul Haque Anan, the senior joint convener of the hall unit JCD, alleged that “gupto (hidden) Shibir” members operated within Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to conduct torture sessions as a means of proving themselves as “pure Chhatra League” members.
He further claimed that following the events of 5 August, many of these individuals revealed their identities as Chhatra Shibir members.
Anan noted that JCD has displayed evidence of this hypocrisy to show how these individuals enjoyed the benefits of BCL while torturing students.
The JCD has specifically accused six individuals in connection with these incidents, including Hall Union Cultural Secretary Mohammad Ismail Sadik Tahsin and Executive Members Tasnim Rubaiyat, Araf Mahmud, Md Hasan Al Banna, and Mustakim Rahman.
The list also includes Mahmudul Hasan, whom JCD claims is the secretary of the hall unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir. Hasibur Rahman Asif, convener of the hall JCD, said individuals involved in guestroom torture under the guise of BCL are now active under the banner of a “special student organisation”.
He explained that these details were presented to alert freshers to the backgrounds of such individuals.
