Jalal Ahmed, an independent vice-president candidate in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election, has been expelled after he allegedly stabbed his roommate inside the Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall.
Jalal, widely known among students as "Jalamoyee Jalal", and his injured roommate Rabiul Haque reportedly got into an altercation at around 12:45am on Tuesday night, in Room 462 of the hall.
Rabiul, a political science student from the 2018-19 batch, suffered a stab wound to the chest and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital by fellow students.
Confirming the expulsion, the hall's Provost Sirajul Islam told reporters, "Jalal has been expelled from the hall. A request will also be made to cancel his studentship.
"The hall administration will also file a case."
Meanwhile, Jalal, a student of Television and Film Studies, locked himself in the room, prompting a tense stand-off that drew in students, provostial team members, and police from the Shahbagh Police Station.
After the stabbing incident and amid intense outrage from fellow students, it took police and university authorities nearly two hours to take Jalal Ahmed out of the room.
When he was finally escorted from the dormitory to a police vehicle, a group of students attacked him, leaving two members of the proctorial team injured in the scuffle.
Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalid Monsur told The Business Standard that the university authorities handed over the accused Jalal to the police following the incident.
The OC said a case is under process against him, and he is currently in police custody.
Speaking to reporters, Rabiul claimed that Jalal had returned to the room late at night, turned on the lights, and created a disturbance. When Rabiul protested, citing his need to study, the situation escalated.
"Around 12:30am, Jalal came into the room, turned on the light, and made noise, which woke me up. I told him I needed to go to the library in the morning and that his noise was disturbing my sleep. At this, he got angry, said I was [staying there by] 'illegal' [means] and an 'outsider'. When I protested, he attacked me. Somehow I managed to defend myself."
He said he later managed to escape the room and seek medical help.
Jalal countered the accusation on social media, posting photos of his own injuries and alleging that Rabiul attacked him.
Jalal claimed the assault occurred as he was preparing to issue a legal notice demanding the eviction of "illegal and outsider students" from all DU halls, adding that Rabiul had supposedly been residing in the hall illegally for months.
A student from an adjacent room recounted that tensions had previously flared between the roommates. On one occasion, Jalal reportedly laid hands on Rabiul, who had earlier sought protection from the hall provost, stating he was "at risk of death."
Following the incident, University Proctor Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, Mohsin Hall Provost Md Sirajul Islam, and house tutors visited the spot.
Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, the university proctor, told the media that the proctorial team and hall provost responded promptly to the incident, and that measures would be taken accordingly.
He, however, initially said Rabiul was not stabbed, but rather struck with a tube light.
