Chhatra League Tag: DU student beaten for hours

A Dhaka University student was brutally beaten for several hours early Monday after being labelled a member of the Bangladesh Chhatra League by activists of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, police and the victim said.

The incident occurred around 4:00am when Rahid Khan Pavel, a Philosophy Department student from the 2020-21 session, had gone to Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall at BUET for sehri.

“Around 20 to 25 people surrounded me and beat me for nearly two to two and a half hours,” Pavel told journalists while lying injured outside Shahbagh Police Station.
Pavel said he was first attacked inside the BUET campus and then taken by rickshaw to several locations on the DU campus—including Salimullah Muslim Hall, VC Square, and the Raju Sculpture—where the assault continued.

He alleged that he was struck on the head with bricks, stabbed with a motorbike disc lock, and beaten with belts. Pavel also claimed that his mobile phone, motorbike key, and wallet were taken. He was eventually left in front of Shahbagh Police Station, where law enforcement intervened.

Pavel denied any political affiliation, saying he is a regular student who attends classes in the Philosophy Department.

However, Md Saifullah, organisational secretary of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti’s DU unit, disputed Pavel’s account.

He alleged that Pavel had been involved in attacks during the July movement, had been boycotted by his department and hall, and had recently been putting up Bangladesh Chhatra League posters and organizing iftar gatherings with former activists of the now-banned organization.

“When we caught him and tried to check his phone, he refused and reacted aggressively. Students then handed him over to the police,” Saifullah said.
Shahbagh Police Station confirmed Pavel was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. Officials added that further action would be decided after his recovery.

DU Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed said Pavel’s name does not appear among the 403 banned Chhatra League leaders and activists who were show-caused by the university for alleged attacks on protesting students during the July uprising of 2024.