The High Court has ordered the authorities at Islamic University in Kushtia to expel five of its students who were found to be involved in the torture and humiliation of a first-year student at Deshratno Sheikh Hasina Hall.
The court on Wednesday also directed the university to relieve Deshratno Sheikh Hasina Hall Provost Shamsul Alam, the house tutor and several others of their duties.
The five students are IU Chhatra League Vice President Sanjida Chowdhury Ontora of the statistics department, and activists Tabassum Islam of the finance and banking department, Israt Zahan Meem of the law department, Halima Khatun Urmi of the fine arts department and Moabiya of the finance and banking department.
The five students would not be allowed to take part in academic activities or stay on campus, the court ruled.
Besides, it asked the IU authorities to allot the victim, Fulpori Khatun, a dormitory room as per her choice.
The High Court issued the order following a probe report submitted by a judicial inquiry committee formed in this regard.
The committee found that the girl had been tortured brutally and inhumanely, and the university authorities had failed to act properly.
The judicial inquiry committee formed to probe the torture of Fulpori Khatun, a student of Islamic University, submitted a probe report before the High Court bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Raziq Al Jalil on Tuesday.
The court later fixed Wednesday for passing an order in this regard.
The inquiry committee found the involvement of six people in the incident and said the hall provost and house tutor totally had failed to perform their responsibilities.
The university proctor also showed negligence and indifference in discharging his duties, says the report.
According to the report, after being tortured, the victim was forced to sign a bond.
Fulpori, a first-year student of the finance and banking department, was tortured and humiliated by IU Chhatra League Vice President Shanjida Chowdhury Ontora and her cohorts at Deshratno Sheikh Hasina Hall on February 12.
The incident came to light after the victim left the hall and disclosed the matter to her seniors and her family members the next day.
The Chhatra League leader also threatened that she would release the video on social media if Fulpori disclosed the matter to anyone, according to the complainant.
She lodged a written complaint with the university administration, including the university proctor, student adviser and the hall provost, demanding punishment of those involved in the incident on February 14.
Two probe bodies were formed by the IU authorities and the Deshratno Sheikh Hasina Hall administration afterwards.
The probe bodies submitted their reports to the university administration on Sunday.
A writ petition was also filed by Gazi Mohammad Mohsin, an alumnus of the university and a lawyer, in the High Court.
The Kushtia district administration, meanwhile, formed a three-member inquiry committee, led by additional district magistrate ANM Abujar Gifari, and asked it to submit its inquiry report within seven days following a High Court order on February 20.
Accused Chhatra League leader Ontora and activist Tabassum left the hall following the High Court order.
The five were expelled from Deshratno Sheikh Hasina Hall on Monday as the hall authorities found their involvement in the assault on Fulpori.