Recently, a notorious group of students named the “Proloy Gang” has been exposed on the Dhaka University campus. 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.
This group has reportedly captured a room furnished with beds for patients on the third floor of Dhaka University medical centre to use as their base, and selected a corner of the Suhrawardy Udyan to take recreational drugs. They nicknamed the spot “Nikumvila.”
Nikumvila is a place in Lanka from the Meghnadh Badh epic of Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
Talking with several students at Dhaka University, this correspondent came to know that the Proloy Gang is comprised of some students of the 2020-21 academic session. The gang members are friends and roam together on the campus, living in several residential dormitories of the university,
Now they are studying in their second year, having been together from the first year.
The Proloy Gang does not have any political affiliation, however, they reportedly formed with the aim of attracting the attention of Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League. The gang members believe Chhatra League may select them as muscle power ahead of the next general election.
Recently, the gang took over the water bottle business inside the campus and forced street shopkeepers to sell water bottles named island water.
The gang's activities previously remained hidden as most victims of their harassment were outsiders, sources said.
On Saturday afternoon, some members of Proloy Gang were driving a car at a high speed just before the iftar time at the campus. At the time, a few students gave chase with bikes and asked why they were driving recklessly inside the campus at such a busy time.
The members of Proloy Gang replied from the car that they are university students and drunk, and they would meet them after some time.
Subsequently, the members of the gang gathered in front of Jasimuddin hall, and beat the student who had chased the car on their bike.
Later, the injured student's mother filed a case against the gang members and their names were revealed.
The students named in the case are Tabarak Mia, Sifat Sahil, Faisal Ahmed aka Sakib, Md Sovon, Syed Nasif Imtiaz aka Sayid, Farhan Labib, Arnob Khan, Abu Rayhan, Nayeemur Rahman aka Durjoy, Saad, Rahman Zia, Mosharraf Hossain, Hedayet Noor, Mahin Manowar, Sadman Tawhid aka Barshan, Abdullah Al Arif, Prottoy Saha, Joy Biswas, and Ferdous Alam aka Emon.
The Dhaka University authorities Tuesday suspended two students for their involvement in anti-disciplinary activities, misconduct and tarnishing the university's image.
The suspended students are Naimur Rahman Durjoy of the Anthropology Department and Sakib Ferdous of the International Business Department, both Proloy Gang members known for criminal activities.
The students were asked to explain within seven working days why they should not be expelled from the university. They were arrested and sent to jail on Monday on charges of assaulting the student in front of Kabi Jasimuddin Hall on Saturday.
