Gang culture among university students has become a serious concern as crime incidents are on the rise in the public universities across Bangladesh.
Students emerging from monitoring by the family and into independence on the university campus are supposed to be busy turning themselves into ideal citizens.
But some of them become violent, drug addicts or sometimes they are involved with other criminal activities.
At the beginning of 2023, there have been incidents like mugging, kidnapping and demanding ransom in the top ranking universities of the country.
Among the higher education institutions, Dhaka University is at the centre as a public university.
According to the news published in various media, from 2022 until now, there have been more than a hundred incidents of robbery, violence and sexual harassment on the Dhaka University campus and the surrounding areas, including Suhrawardy Udyan, which have come to the attention of journalists. Some of these incidents have been reported by victims.
There are also many other crimes in the background.
This year, the university administration has so far received more than 20 complaints.
Based on these complaints, the university administration has punished more than a hundred students for different terms.
Finally, on March 26, sensational information came out after a student had beated up his classmate in the 'Hall Para' of Dhaka University.
The name of a notorious group of students named the “Proloy Gang” was exposed on the Dhaka University campus after the incident.
Its members are allegedly involved in drug abuse, extortion, and assaulting outsiders on the campus, especially at the Suhrawardy Udyan and Shaheed Minar areas at night.
Proloy Gang comprises some students of the 2020-21 academic sessions. The gang members are friends and roam together on the campus, living in several residential dormitories of the university.
They are now studying in their second year, having been together from the first year.
There are two other gangs. One of them with students from the 2017-18 session, named Nishachor, is said to be somewhat inactive at present.
The other is Oiykkoboddho Nishachor-2, formed by some students of the 2018-19 session.
Since the matter of the Proloy Gang came to light, a general sense of panic has been prevailing among students.
Many are wondering about the reason for these talented students being involved in crimes.
Bangla Tribune asked ordinary students, student leaders and criminologists to know why and how this gang culture has developed at university campuses.
What general students say
General students of the university blame the campus political situation and culture of impunity for these new circumstances.
They said that gang culture is nothing new.
Adnan Rahmatullah Turzo, a third-year student of the university's Mass Communication and Journalism department, said gang culture is not a new phenomenon. However, the reason for its recent emergence is the current political situation of the campus.
“Due to the dominance of one party, the race to become the next leader begins under the umbrella of that party. To survive in that race, a typical student gets involved in criminal activity,” he added.
Everyone wants to extend dominance and become powerful by causing trouble on the campus, said the student.
Another student Rafiz Khan said that the main reason behind the rise of gang culture is a pattern of impunity by the university administration.
Criminal incidents like clashes between gangs, robbery, mugging, and extortion are frequent on the campus but no strong action is taken by the administration until they come into focus.
“The source of power for the students involved with gang culture is the ruling student organization. In this case, such organizations indirectly sponsor the gang culture for their benefit, and in some cases reward them. Whether the student leaders of the campus are showing muscle power and benefiting financially from this culture is also a matter of serious thought,'' he said.
Thoughts of student organizations
Opposition student organizations blame the current ruling student body for giving rise to gang culture.
They say that the ruling student body is creating panic among the common students and is sponsoring them to take control of the campus.
However, terming the criticism as baseless, BCL leaders said that they follow the policy of zero tolerance for any crime.
They are making such allegations as they are afraid of the popularity of the Chhatra League, claimed the party leaders.
Saikat Arif, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, said: "We have seen that everywhere behind the rise of gang culture, there are various forms of the ruling power circles behind them. The ruling student organization Chhatra League also has a role in the gang culture at Dhaka University. The political connection of the gangs that have recently come to the limelight in Dhaka University is also very clear.”
“The university administration also cannot take any action against these gangs. Because of the connection, the university administration helps to sustain them in various ways,” he alleged.
DU Chhatra Dal general secretary Ariful Islam said that there was no gang culture in any university, including Dhaka University, in the past. Gang culture is the modern form or process of continuing Chhatra League's past misdeeds and terrorist activities.
It is clear that Proloy Gang has been formed by the leaders of the Chhatra League, he said.
Tanbir Hasan Saikat, general secretary of the Dhaka University unit of the Chhatra League, said that there was no history of gang culture at Dhaka University.
“In recent times, a gang was being formed before the eyes of the university administration, Chhatra League and journalists. But it has been nipped in the bud,” he said.
“We have never seen a university student's involvement with trading water, to declare University Medical Centre as office. We have never seen these types of incidents before. Why has this type of radical mentality been created? We urge the university administration to ensure that no one else can do this in the future. We student leaders will also cooperate. Journalists are also called upon to bring things into the limelight when they see something like this.”
When asked about the opposition student organizations' allegation against the Chhatra League, he said: “Why should we patronize them? We don't know any of the first-year, or second-year boys. There is no opportunity to be politically associated with them. They are making such statements to politicize the issue. Chhatra League adheres to the policy of zero tolerance in these activities. The Chhatra League has played a role in the positive changes that have taken place on campus in the last three months, which the university proctor will tell you if you ask him. We have asked the university administration and law enforcement to take action as per law. They are also taking steps accordingly.”
Those who blame the Chhatra League have lower acceptance among the students. They are making such statements because they are afraid of the popularity of the Chhatra League, said the BCL leader.
What do criminologists say?
Professor Dr Zia Rahman, a criminologist and the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Dhaka University, said that there is no opportunity for any exemption in such activities.
Zero tolerance policy should be adopted in this regard. In the developed world, unrest among the young generation and their violent attitudes are a symptom of modernization. However, there are some fundamental differences with Bangladesh, said the criminologist.
“We can see gang culture forming in different places in Bangladesh. If we don't deal with them firmly, the future will bleak. Especially at Dhaka University, this situation is very unfortunate. Students manage to study here after a lot of competition. They are all brilliant students,” he added.
“The university administration should adopt a zero-tolerance policy against this culture. Criminals should be punished. The proctorial team should be modernized,” he suggested.
He also suggested improving the cultural environment of the campus, so that students could not get involved in violent activities.
Suggesting improving the environment of the residential halls of the university, he said that the environment of the halls is not hygienic.
The university authorities should work on these issues, suggested the criminologist.