DU authority issues show-cause notice to DUCSU’s resigned member Sarbamitra

The Dhaka University (DU) administration has issued a show-cause notice to Sarbamitra Chakma, who resigned from DUCSU on Monday, over an incident in which teenagers were made to do sit-ups by holding their ears at the university’s Physical Education Center ground.

The university summoned Sarbamitra on Monday evening (January 26) following complaints from students. The proctor’s office issued the notice, asking him to explain his actions.

Confirming the matter, DU Proctor Assistant Professor Saifuddin Ahmed told Daily Sun that the administration sought a written explanation from Sarbamitra Chakma based on the complaints received. He said the incident had tarnished the image of the university, and Sarbamitra had been asked to submit his explanation within 24 hours.

Earlier the same day, Sarbamitra Chakma announced his resignation from the DUCSU executive committee, accepting responsibility for the incident. He made the announcement in a post on the “Dhaka University Students’ Union-2” Facebook group on Monday afternoon.

In the post, Sarbamitra said the Physical Education Center ground is meant for university students, but outsiders have been entering the area for a long time. He claimed this had resulted in repeated incidents of harassment of female students, as well as theft of mobile phones, wallets and bicycles, creating concerns over student safety and the campus environment.

He further alleged that students had informed the university administration about the issue several times, but no effective measures had been taken. According to him, the area remains outside CCTV coverage and there are no visible steps to stop outsiders from entering the ground.

Sarbamitra also claimed that outsiders frequently enter the ground by climbing over the wall adjacent to Dhaka Medical College. He said that when they were stopped, they disobeyed, threw stones at staff members and fled. In that situation, he said, he was forced at one stage to make the teenagers do sit-ups by holding their ears.

However, Sarbamitra apologised unconditionally in his post, stating that such behaviour is unacceptable under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, DUCSU General Secretary SM Farhad said that although Sarbamitra Chakma announced his resignation on social media, he has not yet submitted any formal resignation letter to the union.