9 BCL women activists declared unwanted at JnU student hall

Students of Jagannath University’s (JnU) Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall have declared nine women activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) as unwanted.

On Saturday (September 7), a banner with their names, batch, and photos was hung in front of the university’s only girls' hall, announcing their unwanted status.

The banner reads, "The BCL activists who oppose the July Revolution and support the genocide have been permanently declared unwanted by the general students of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall."

The BCL activists declared unwanted are Eva Rahman, a student of the 11th batch of the Psychology Department, Swarna Patwari from the 13th batch of the Zoology Department, Maitri Barai from the 13th batch of the Film and Television Department, Afia Ananjum Supti from the 14th batch of the Bengali Department, Nipun Islam from the 13th batch of the Mathematics Department, Munia Akhter Juthi from the 14th batch of the Islamic Studies Department, Rishat Ara from the 14th batch of the Philosophy Department, Srija from the 16th batch of the Political Science Department, and Farhana Oishi from the 17th batch of the Institute of Education and Research.

Afia Ananjum Supti, a student of the 14th batch from the Bengali Department who was declared unwanted, said, “I haven’t been staying in the hall for 4-5 months. I’ve completed my graduation, and I don’t plan to do my master's at Jagannath University. I will do it elsewhere. Declaring my seat unwanted is acceptable since I’ve graduated. However, seats of two other girls from the 17th batch have also been declared unwanted, which is not right. Only the hall provost and the Vice-Chancellor have the authority to make such declarations. This unsolicited announcement holds no validity. It’s a major injustice.”

Swarna Patwari and Eva Sarkar, two other BCL activists declared unwanted, hung up when contacted for comments.

Swarna Riya, a third-year student of the Public Administration Department who led the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, “Due to the absence of a hall provost, we couldn’t submit an official application. The nine BCL activists have been declared unwanted by the general students of the hall. Once the new provost joins, we will officially apply for their expulsion from the hall.”