General students belong to 80% of university torture victims: Study

• Torture victims targeted for political beliefs
• All torture incidents occurred by Chhatra League activists
• The study based on torture incidents between 2010 and 2024
• August sees the highest number of torture incidents
• US-based human rights organisation 'Sochchar' conducted the study

Some 80% of students subjected to torture due to suspicions of affiliation with political opponents in the country's universities are general students, show a study conducted by a US-based human rights organisation.

The study, conducted by "Sochchar - Torture WatchDog Bangladesh" on the occasion of the death anniversary of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad, was released during a webinar yesterday (7 October). 

The report was prepared based on interviews with 50 students who were subjected to torture on university campuses between 2010 and 2024, said the organisation.

The study shows among the other victims, 14% were activists of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, 2% were activists of the Chhatra Dal, 2% were ordinary people from outside the universities, and 2% were activists of the Chhatra League. All of these individuals were subjected to torture by activists of the Chhatra League, the student front of the then ruling Awami League.

The study findings were presented by Sibbir Ahmed, president of Sochchar and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Virginia in the United States. 

The report revealed that 84% of the torture incidents took place in university residential halls, where victims were summoned to specific rooms and subjected to physical and psychological abuse. In 10% of the cases, the torture began somewhere on campus and ended in a designated torture room within the residential hall. In 6% of the cases, the torture both started and ended on campus.

Among the 50 tortured students interviewed, 26% were from Dhaka University, 18% were from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), and 16% were from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). 

Students from other public universities included Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Bangladesh University of Textiles, Pabna University of Science and Technology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University in Gopalganj. 

From private universities, students from Asia Pacific University and International Islamic University Chittagong were also included.

The highest number of torture incidents occurred in August. According to Sochchar's observations, the increased number of incidents during August may be attributed to heightened political activities surrounding 15 August, the day the Awami League government set as National Mourning Day.

During the webinar, Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib, vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University, said over the past 15 years, university campuses had been dominated by the reign of terror of the Chhatra League. This has impacted national politics as well, he said. 

Prof Saleh noted that faculty appointments at universities were not based on merit, and qualified individuals were not placed in various key positions. "As a result, the disgraceful incidents occurred on campuses in recent times."

Professor Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, pro-vice-chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said incidents of campus torture must be addressed politically. "If we analyse all incidents of campus torture over the past 50 years, not just the last 15, it becomes clear that the issue is political in nature. Therefore, it must be dealt with through political means."

Professor CR Abrar, president of the human rights organisation Odhikar, said Abrar Fahad had spoken out on issues concerning the public. 

Nur Khan Liton, former executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra and chief adviser of the human rights organisation HRSS, said the manner in which Abrar Fahad was cold-bloodedly murdered mirrors a pattern practised in DB (Detective Branch) offices. He pointed out that political labels were used to normalise such actions.

Shehrin Amin Bhuiya, assistant proctor of Dhaka University, human rights lawyer and legal director of Sochchar Barrister Shaikh Mahdi, and BUET student Abrar Fayyaz also spoke in the webinar.

Mehdi Hasan, a PhD researcher at Texas Tech University, and Rahnuma Siddika, a PhD researcher on Urbana-Champaign at the University of Illinois were involved in the study.