Photo: Collected
In the past two and a half years, leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Jagannath University (JnU) have racked up unpaid bills amounting to 7 lakh taka at the university’s cafeteria. This information was revealed by Md. Masud, the director of the cafeteria.
He disclosed that the BCL leaders have consistently eaten on credit, but despite repeated promises to pay, they have not cleared their dues. Now, these individuals are avoiding the campus, leaving the cafeteria in financial distress.
According to the cafeteria director, the president of the JnU BCL unit, Ibrahim Farazi, alone owes 1.88 lakh taka, while general secretary SM Akhtar Hossain has accumulated unpaid dues of 2.5 lakh taka.
In addition to these two, several other leaders have significant outstanding balances. Rabikul Islam Rabi, widely known for his close association with the BCL president, owes 52,000 taka. Another individual, Miraz, recognized as the group leader under the general secretary’s panel, has left an unpaid balance of 75,000 taka. Vice-president Mehedi Hasan Babu owes 55,000 taka.
Moreover, two other leaders from the general secretary’s faction, Tamim and Sajbul, owe 12,000 taka and 9,000 taka, respectively. Together, these seven leaders have left the cafeteria with unpaid dues amounting to 6.41 lakh taka. Many others have also consumed food without paying, but their records have not been kept.
Md. Masud, the cafeteria director, shared his frustrations, stating, "For a long time, these individuals have been eating on credit. They kept promising to pay, but the money never came. There are many others who have taken food on credit, but we have no records for them. Not only do they refuse to pay, but if their food is delayed, some, like Sajbul, even resort to physically assaulting the staff."
He further explained, "Running the cafeteria is costly—weekly operations amount to 39,750 taka, and the monthly cost is 1.59 lakh taka, not including the cost of supplies. On top of that, there's this enormous amount in unpaid dues. I’m already buying supplies on credit from my vendors. How am I supposed to recover this money or cover such a huge loss?"
Efforts to reach the accused BCL president, Ibrahim Farazi, and the general secretary, SM Akhtar Hossain, were unsuccessful as their phones remained switched off.
Dr. KAM Rifat Hasan, director of student welfare at the university, commented on the issue, stating, "I was unaware of the situation. However, if these allegations are true and the accused individuals are regular students, we will take steps to recover the outstanding money and discuss the matter with the university administration to ensure appropriate action is taken."
Messenger/Imran/Aziz
