Safiqur Rahman, president of Sreepur upazila AL, and Kabir Hossain, convener of Sreepur upazila unit of Bangladesh Krishak League, oversee ticket sales and access to Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur as independent contractors of the establishment. Both men led their staff members to assault a group of DU students after they had failed to produce university identification cards at the gate.
Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, director of Health Economics Institute of University of Dhaka (DU), said that 185 students of the institute had received entry passes for the park at a discounted rate from the Forest Department. When the students were entering the park, the freshers could not show their identification cards as their cards are yet to be dispatched. Although the students showed their admission receipts and library cards, the staff denied them access. Subsequently the tension escalated as Safiqur and Kabir led an attack on the students. The assault left at least 20 injured. The police arrived at the scene to take the situation under control.
Additional police super of Gazipur, Golam Sabur, said that such an incident was regrettable as all the students had legitimate passes to enter the park.
Police arrested five people in connection with the incident including a woman, who are believed to have been identified from a photo of the attack. The police are however yet to take action against the two AL leaders at the time of filing this report. Safiqur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that he was not responsible for the assault.
Anisur Rahman, a second year student of DU said: “We had permission from Forest Department to enter the safari park. Yet two AL leaders shut the main gate with their goons and beat us. They went as far as beating female students.”
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
