BCL leader tortured for not taking coaching classes in Satkhira 

A student of the Institute of Health Technology (IHT) in Satkhira was brutally beaten and tortured for refusing to take coaching classes from one of his faculties.

The victim, Solaiman Hossain, is the son of Mohammad Hanif of Baufal upazila of Patuakhali. 

Solaiman is the organising secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) Nalta IHT and Medical Assitant Training School (MATS) unit. 

Ripon, a classmate of the victim, said, "Nahid, Rashid and Rana picked up Solaiman from the hostel at around 10pm on Friday. They were following the instructions of Saeed Hasan, a faculty of IHT's radiology department. 

"Nahid and Rashid are students of IHT while Rana is studying at MATS."

"Solaiman was brutally beaten by the three. He sustained a severe head injury after being hit by a metal rod. There are injury marks all over his body.

"We later rescued Solaiman and took him to Sakhipur Health Complex for treatment. This is not the first time that a student was tortured by the aforementioned group," Ripon added.

Ripon further claimed that IHT faculty Saeed demanded money from students for giving extra marks in exams. 

Speaking with The Business Standard, Solaiman Hossain said, "I don't take tuitions from Saeed sir. He helps students to cheat in exams in exchange for money. 

"He recently demanded money from me during my viva. I was tortured for not being able to comply with his demand."

"A number of students have faced similar situations before but couldn't raise their voices out of fear. The perpetrators are supporters of Jamaat-e-Islam. 

"We once went into action against them in 2019. At present, they conduct political activities while maintaining secrecy."

Accused Saeed Hasan could not be reached despite repeated attempts for comments. 

GM Faruquzzaman, director of Nalta IHT and MATS, said "The injured student is undergoing treatment. Such incidents happened here before. 

"Things got out of hand this time. A committee will be formed to investigate the matter. The victim's family can take legal action if they want to."

When contacted, Kaliganj police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam Mustafa said they are yet to receive any complaint about the incident. 

"Necessary legal steps will be taken after a complaint is filed," he added.