Who are the Chhatra Dal leaders identified in Rajshahi University attack footage?
Video footage of last night's attack on journalists and students at Rajshahi University (RU) has identified several leaders and activists of the university's Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal unit, along with a former Chhatra League activist, many of whom have past allegations of extortion and prior expulsions from party.
Among those identified is Ahsan Habib, a 2013-14 student of the Law Department and vice-president of the RU unit Chhatra Dal, and Hasibul Islam, a 2017-18 student of the History Department and the unit's joint general secretary.
Both were temporarily suspended from the organisation on October 19, 2024 over extortion allegations, and later expelled; at the time, Ahsan was a joint convener of the RU unit Chhatra Dal and Hasib an organisation activist.
They later faced another extortion allegation over an incident said to have taken place on June 24 in Budhpara, near the university. The alleged victim, a university student, submitted a written complaint to the proctor’s office the following day and filed a general diary with Motihar Police Station.
Despite their earlier expulsion, both were reinstated and included in a Chhatra Dal committee announced on August 16, 2025, after their expulsion orders were withdrawn.
Also identified was Bishal Chakrabarty, a 2021-22 student of the Economics Department who later dropped out, and who had previously been involved in politics alongside Asadullah Hil Galib, then secretary of the RU unit Chhatra League.
Video footage of Sunday night's incident shows Bishal hitting The Daily Star's RU correspondent Nur Ahsan Mridul with a telescopic baton.
Other Chhatra Dal leaders identified include Shahriar Alam Othi, a 2019-20 student of the Music Department and the organisation's assistant office secretary; Shariful Islam, a 2013-14 student of the Anthropology Department and vice-president; Takbir Ahmed Emon, a 2017-18 student of the Institute of Business Administration and vice-president; and Syed Sajharul Islam, a 2019-20 student of the Management Department and assistant general secretary.
Takbir Ahmed Emon had also previously faced an extortion allegation. On December 10, 2024, he and another Chhatra Dal leader were accused of extorting money from two leaders of the banned Chhatra League by threatening them with legal action. According to the allegation, Tk 10,100 was taken from one of them through Nagad after he was threatened with assault and being handed over to police.
Syed Sajharul Islam, also known as Saju, who appeared in video footage from last night’s attack, was also accused of involvement in the same extortion incident.
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