Md Abdur Rakib :
Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ousted Awami League, affiliated with Jagannath University (JnU), was allegedly collecting around Tk 3 lakh per month in extortion from the University’s TSC (Teachers-Students Center). Sources claim that some leaders, appointed by the University’s BCL president and general secretary, were behind the collections.
An on-site investigation revealed that the TSC area hosts 10 tea stalls, with an additional two located behind the main spot. According to the vendors, each tea stall was compelled to pay a daily sum of Tk 200 to BCL activists, totaling approximately Tk 72,000 per month. Even when businesses were closed, payments were still demanded.
The University also has four food hotels at the TSC, from which larger establishments were reportedly charged Tk 1,400 per day, while smaller hotels paid Tk 600 daily in a total this totalled nearly Tk 96,000 in monthly collections. Unlike tea stalls, hotel owners were not required to pay even if their establishments were closed for the day.
Furthermore, vendors of the mobile shops around the TSC, including juice stands, stationery outlets, and clothing stalls, must pay Tk 200 per day, adding another Tk 50,000 to the monthly extortion amount. Two snack shops were also charged Tk 500 daily, accumulating around Tk 30,000 each month.
In addition to these regular payments, BCL reportedly collected Tk 100 daily from sidewalk vendors through intermediaries known as “linemen.” However, the fees from these sidewalk businesses were reduced, with some vendors reportedly paying as little as Tk 50 per day.
One tea vendor, who wished to remain anonymous, shared his experience, saying, “We were forced to pay Tk 200 daily. Even if my shop was closed due to my illness, I still had to pay. After the government’s fall, however, no one has come to demand money.”
A restaurant owner echoed similar sentiments, explaining, “The BCL president and secretary’s men would come to collect money. Many of them would eat at the restaurant and leave without paying. Thankfully, this extortion has temporarily ceased.”
Sohag Ahmed, a member of the University’s TSC Reform Committee, acknowledged the previous extortion, along with highlighting the positive changes in recent times. He also added “We no longer see such activities, and this reflects a shift in student behavior and hope to maintain this progress.”
He further added, “We have already taken steps to regulate food prices at the TSC. If extortion resurfaces, we are prepared to take legal action. We will unite as students to prevent such activities from happening again.”
Besides, general students of this University demanded to stop all kinds of extortion in the university area and make a healthy understanding within students and businessmen.
In this regard, the proctor of this university, Prof. Mohammad Tazammol Hoque, said,” If any student of this university get involved in extortion and we get specific allegations, we are ready to take proper steps against them. We will never tolerate any kind of criminal activities in our university area.”
