Jahangirnagar University (JU), Bangladesh’s sole residential public university, is currently facing a severe housing crisis, exacerbated by the illegal occupation of halls by over 1,300 former students, many linked to the influential student organization Chhatra League.
The overcrowding and rule-breaking have led to a situation where 12,533 students are residing in the 19 operational halls designed for 12,362, with an estimated 1,320 unauthorized residents occupying their rooms.
Notably, halls like Rabindranath Tagore Hall, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall, Shaheed Salam-Barkat Hall, AFM Kamaluddin Hall, Maulana Bhasani Hall, Al Beruni Hall, and Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar Hall are particularly affected, while newly inaugurated halls Sheikh Russell and Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Halls remain unaffected.
Furthermore, the presence of approximately fifty non-students in the girls’ halls has added to the complexity of the issue.
The university’s Student Disciplinary Ordinance 2018, section 5(a), dictates that post-graduate final examination participants must vacate halls within seven days of completing exams, with penalties for non-compliance.
Despite ongoing academic programs for students from the 47th to the 52nd batches, former students from the 41st to the 46th batches are still occupying university halls, resulting in undesirable incidents, including a recent rape case involving a 45th-batch student named Mustafizur Rahman.
A movement has emerged within the university to expel non-students from the campus, with allegations pointing towards Chhatra League involvement. The university unit of Chhatra League, consisting of over 400 leaders and activists, faces accusations of unauthorized residency and rule violations.
JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Nurul Alam has stated that the administration is taking strict action to expel the illegally residing students, with recent decisions made in the Syndicate. However, concerns persist among students regarding the administration’s willingness to enforce these decisions effectively, especially against those associated with Chhatra League politics.
