Hostel Seat Allocation Continues 'Under Preference' Despite Suspension

Despite the administrative suspension of seat allocation in the Rajshahi College Muslim Hostel, the process is ongoing covertly without any notice, with allegations that seats are being allotted based on the administration’s preferences and influence from various quarters. Familiar students are reportedly receiving seats secretly.

In July 2024, the hostel authorities invited applications for limited seat allocation. However, the list published on August 21 sparked protests from intermediate-level students when it ordered honors students to relocate to the Intermediate Building. The students staged a sit-in in front of the administration building that night, prompting the authorities to cancel the final seat list immediately. Since then, the seat allocation process has been officially suspended.

Despite this, investigations in multiple blocks of the Muslim Hostel revealed that 8 to 12 students have been newly allotted seats without any list or notice. The number could be higher, according to allegations. Some students are staying there for long periods without official permission.

Reliable sources indicate that in Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Building (E-Block), 4 to 5 students; in Birshreshtha Mohammad Ruhul Amin Building (C-Block), 1 to 2 students; and in Birshreshtha Hamidur Rahman Building (A-Block), at least 1 student have received seats covertly. In A-Block, one student is allegedly staying without permission. Similar allocations have occurred in other buildings, but specific numbers are unavailable, and the administration has not provided any confirmed statement.

Yusuf Ali, a Sociology Department student, said, “I have applied multiple times for a hostel seat, but despite being eligible, I didn’t get one. Instead, the administration has allotted seats to ineligible students. Allotting seats secretly while publicly suspending the process is completely unethical and discriminatory.”

Another Mathematics Department student, Yaj Uddin Ahmed, stated, “We have been victims of discrimination in hostel seat allocation from the beginning. I went to the sir several times for a seat, but he turned me away. When I learned that recommendations were being made for others, I informed the sirs, but they denied it. Yet, when I went to the office for a seat, I saw that recommendations had been made outside for seat allocation.”

Assistant Professor Mo. Rubaiyat-i-Afroz from the Political Science Department, who is responsible for the hostel, said, “As caretakers, we can admit students in special cases without notice. To my knowledge, 5-6 students have been admitted. Two of them were admitted by me personally in special consideration. I don’t know about others.”

On the matter, Chief Caretaker Dr. Shah Md. Mahbub Alam said, “The seat allocation is currently temporarily suspended. In such a situation, admitting new students is not expected. If someone has been admitted secretly, I am not aware of it.”