Police Outpost at Barishal University Virtually Non-Functional, Students Feel Insecure

The police outpost at Barishal University (BU) has become effectively inoperative. Students are experiencing growing insecurity due to the absence of regular police patrolling and monitoring at the campus security post.

Since the political change on 5 August 2024, no police personnel have been regularly stationed at the university’s police outpost, leading to a complete suspension of its operations. This has heightened anxiety among students.

Students complain that the lack of police presence has created serious security risks. Especially after evening hours, outsiders move freely around the campus, and various incidents of disorder go unchecked, leaving students fearful.

Student Faisal said: “Since 5 August, there has been no police at the university outpost, which is a major concern for student safety. During concerts or programmes on campus, outsiders come in large numbers. If any trouble occurs or students face problems at night, the university administration lacks the capacity to handle it. For student safety, police should be deployed at the outpost immediately.”

He further stated: “At around 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday night (12 March), army personnel picked up seven students from the university’s Gate No. 1 (Dhaka-Bhola highway) for questioning. They were released around 4 a.m.”

The affected students claimed: “They picked us up without any reason. They behaved very rudely, used abusive language, and at one point came forward with sticks to beat us. Even after showing our ID cards, they refused to believe us.”

They alleged that they were dropped off at Zero Point (Laharhat road) at around 4 a.m. While trying to board a van, the driver and others reportedly said: “You’ll have to walk.”

Victim student Hasan Mahbub said: “If there was a functioning police outpost at the university, we wouldn’t have faced such harassment. The army misused their power. They asked what students were doing outside after 10 p.m. I explained that the hall dining was closed, so we went out to eat. Despite answering all their questions and providing proof, they refused to accept it.”

Camp Commander Major Abdul Gani responded: “They were outside at 2 a.m. We asked what they were doing. They said they had come out for tea. But no shops were open at that time. We asked for their ID cards; two of them showed it. We told them to go back to their rooms, but instead they went further to another shop and sat there. Their movement seemed suspicious, so we picked them up. We contacted their families. However, no stick charge was used on them.”

The university Proctor was informed about the non-functional police outpost via multiple WhatsApp calls and messages last Thursday, but received no response. However, on 21 September last year, the Proctor told the media: “We have written to the responsible police officer to deploy police force at our campus. Due to force shortage at that time, no action could be taken. We will request again and send another letter. Hopefully, the problem will be resolved soon.”