Clashes Erupt at Dhaka University Hall Over Social Media Video Investigation

DHAKA — Tensions surged across the Dhaka University campus on Sunday afternoon following violent confrontations between rival student political factions at Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall, where an official hall administration enquiry into alleged inappropriate conduct descended into physical altercations.

The unrest stems from an incident that surfaced on Saturday inside the residential room allocated to Ibrahim Khalil, the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) of the Shahidullah Hall Union. Video clips widely circulated across social media platforms showed two individuals apologising for allegedly engaging in homosexual acts within the room, prompting immediate public debate and widespread calls for administrative action. Responding to the controversy, the hall administration convened a formal investigation committee on Sunday afternoon, summoning the AGS alongside his roommate to present their statements.

Witness accounts indicate that as the investigative hearing proceeded inside the Provost’s office, tensions flared rapidly when activists belonging to Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) gathered outside. The situation escalated into open chaos as JCD-aligned students forced their way into the administrative office, triggering violent scuffles with members of Islami Chhatra Shibir and leaving several students injured on both sides.

Political representatives traded fierce accusations over the breakdown in order. Mosaddeq Al Haq Shanto, Convener of the JCD Shahidullah Hall unit, claimed Shibir activists were actively obstructing justice to shield Khalil, asserting that CCTV footage from the previous day had been deliberately erased to hide whether the AGS was present during the event. Conversely, Hall Union General Secretary Toukir Hasan maintained that JCD activists breached the office, assaulted a student for capturing photographs, and physically threatened committee members in front of house tutors.

Administrative Confusion and Campus Demonstrations

The physical clashes led to widespread rumours concerning the hall’s executive leadership. While both JCD and Shibir representatives circulated reports claiming Hall Provost Professor Md. Aminul Islam Bhuiyan had resigned, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan issued an official clarification confirming the Provost remains in his post.

In the aftermath, the university unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir organised a protest rally on Sunday evening, marching across key arterial campus roads before gathering at the Raju Memorial Sculpture. Speaking at the rally, DU Shibir President Mu. Mohiuddin Khan strongly condemned the assault on hall union leaders and criticised the central administration’s handling of campus security. University Proctor Professor Dr Israfil Ratan confirmed that proctorial officers intervened to restore calm, adding that a formal disciplinary probe has been launched to identify those responsible for the violence.