Poisonous snake found on mosquito net at RU hall, student narrowly escapes bite

A poisonous krait was rescued from the mosquito net of a residential student at Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall of Rajshahi University (RU) early Saturday. The snake was spotted in Room 121 at around 2:30am on Friday (September 4), after which the university’s snake rescue organisation, Swan, was called in to remove it.

According to students, pharmacy department student Rabbi Reza woke up in the middle of the night and saw the snake on his mosquito net. He alerted his roommates, who contacted Swan. Members of the organisation later arrived at the hall and rescued the snake, confirming it was a poisonous krait.

Shakil Ahmed, a resident of the same room, said the poisonous snake was discovered on the mosquito net after a student woke up. “We later contacted Swan, and they came and rescued the snake,” he said. Expressing frustration over the recurring presence of snakes in the hall, Shakil said students had repeatedly informed the hall provost but no permanent solution had been found.

“The area around the hall has become overgrown with vegetation. Snakes come out every few days. We always have to remain alert and check whether a snake has entered the hall,” he said.

He urged the university administration to take immediate and effective measures to ensure students’ safety. “If the snake had bitten someone last night and a student had died, would the hall provost have taken responsibility?” he asked.

Dr Md Al-Amin Sarker, provost of Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall, said a student woke up on Saturday night and found a snake on the mosquito net. After informing his roommate, the university rescue team was contacted and subsequently removed the snake.

He said the incident had caused panic among the students. The provost said carbolic acid had previously been used to deter snakes and the area around the hall had been cleaned. The administration also cleaned the rear section of the hall last week, he said.

He said the snake was believed to have entered the hall from the rear side. “Arrangements will be made to install good-quality netting at the back of the hall and to clean the drains again,” Dr Al-Amin said.