2002 Police raid Shamsunnahar Hall
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2002 Police raid Shamsunnahar Hall refers to a raid by Bangladesh police on Shamsunnahar Hall of the University of Dhaka on 23 July 2002. The raid injured 200 students and is remembered as the Shamsunnahar Hall Tragedy day in Bangladesh.{{cite news|last1=Huq|first1=Ershadul|title=200 Injured As Police Beat Bangladesh University Girls|url=http://rense.com/general27/200injuredaspolice.htm|access-date=2018-01-24|work=rense.com|publisher=Indo-Asian News Service}}{{cite news |title=Punishment to JCD cadres, other culprits demanded |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-47204 |work=The Daily Star |date=2008-07-24 |access-date=2018-01-24}}
Background
In 2002 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was in power. The students of Shamsunnahar Hall of the University of Dhaka were protesting against the unauthorised stay of leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP, at the dormitory.
Event
The police raided the dorm in the middle of the night on 23 July 2002.{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-98400 |title=Call to punish perpetrators |date=2009-07-23 |work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}} Residents of the dorms were dragged out by police officers and assaulted.{{Cite news |url=http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/07/24/shamsunnahar-hall-tragedy-day-punishment-of-attackers-demanded/|title=Shamsunnahar Hall Tragedy Day Punishment of attackers demanded |work=Dhaka Tribune |access-date=2018-01-24}} The police were joined in the raid by leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/perpetrators-yet-to-be-punished |title=Perpetrators yet to be punished |date=2013-07-24|work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}}
Reaction
The attack was protested throughout the university the following day.{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/city/punishment-duty-cops-sought-115864 |title=Punishment for duty cops sought |date=2015-07-24|work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}} Professor Anwarullah Chowdhury, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, was forced to resign following the raid.{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/when-politics-prevails-over-merit|title=When politics prevails over merit |date=2003-01-21|work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}} The proctor of the university resigned as well.{{Cite news |url=http://archive.newagebd.net/242140/14th-anniv-du-shamsunnahar-hall-tragedy-observed/ |title=14th anniv of DU Shamsunnahar hall tragedy observed |website=New Age |access-date=2018-01-24 |archive-date=2022-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725224334/http://archive.newagebd.net/242140/14th-anniv-du-shamsunnahar-hall-tragedy-observed/ |url-status=dead }} Prime Minister Khaleda Zia ordered the formation of a commission to investigate the incident. The one man commission was made up of Justice M Tafazzul Islam. The probe report blamed the incident on Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdur Rahim of Bangladesh Police and the officials of University of Dhaka.{{Cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2003/07/24/d3072401099.htm |title=Shamsunnahar Hall attack Probe reports gather dust |work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}} The raid was led by Police officer Kohinoor Mian.{{Cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2006/11/20/d61120012217.htm |title=Police administration put thru' transfer hoops:Kohinoor made OSD again |work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}}
Legacy
In 2003, the first anniversary of the raid, Bangladesh Chhatra League carried out a candlelight procession at the Central Shahid Minar. Students Against Repression submitted a memorandum to vice chancellor Syed Muhammed Abul Faiz calling for action against those responsible.{{Cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2003/07/24/d30724011414.htm |title=DU students march in silence to mark one year of attack on hall students |work=The Daily Star |access-date=2018-01-24}} The day of the raid is remembered as Shamsunnahar Hall Tragedy day.{{Cite news |url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/52563/2016-07-24|title=Shamsunnahar Hall tragedy day observed |work=The Independent |location=Dhaka |access-date=2018-01-24}}{{Cite news |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2006/07/22/fourth-anniversary-of-shamsunnahar-hall-tragedy-observed |title=Fourth anniversary of Shamsunnahar Hall tragedy observed |work=bdnews24.com |access-date=2018-01-24}}