Violence at NIT Silchar: Five Bangladeshi Students Suspended, Sent Home
The violence that wreaked havoc inside the campus of National Institute of Technology, Silchar, on September 8 and later an attempted cover-up, has now led to the suspension and deportation of 5 Bangladeshi students, namely Shahriar Ahmed Akash, Shimantor Ghosh, Shoummojit Paul, Sazzad Hossain Rafi, and Mohammad Nur Hossain. The incident was first reported on Barak Bulletin.
On the late night of September 8 and early morning of September 9, the institution — under the stewardship of its professors — staged what many allege was yet another cover-up. As part of the diplomatic agreement between India and Bangladesh, the Government of India allots seats to Bangladeshi nationals at NITs. Unlike their Indian peers, these students are admitted through a special quota, a process riddled with loopholes that Barak Bulletin has previously reported on.
Earlier, Barak Bulletin had reported that the clash broke out inside Room 206 of the hostel 9, where third-year Bangladeshi students allegedly attacked their final-year peers with rods and knives, leaving at least two hospitalised with serious injuries. Authorities later recovered narcotics and weapons from the hostel rooms of the accused, but no FIR was lodged despite the gravity of the offences.
The suspended students, speaking to Barak Bulletin off-camera, claimed that they were targeted for writing against Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh and the once-banned Islami Chhatra Shibir, a controversial student organisation in Bangladesh.
NIT Silchar Director, Prof. Dilip Kumar Baidya, addressing the media on Monday (September 15), said, “On the midnight of September 8, I got to know about a clash between two groups of students. Our deans and hostel wardens rushed in, rescued them, and shifted them to the hospital. Initially, I wanted to know whether it was India vs Bangladesh or Hindus vs Muslims, but both answers were negative. It was Bangladeshi students against Bangladeshi students. Luckily, it was not fatal, though serious enough.”
He added that the internal committee found evidence of disturbances which escalated into violence. “We have suspended the students for one year. Since they are foreign students, they will have to leave the country and can only rejoin after a year if they wish,” Baidya said.
On the recovery of 500 grams of cannabis and weapons, the director admitted, “Over 5,000 youths are living together here. Despite precautions, the supply comes from somewhere. Students get addicted, sometimes leading to violent outbursts. We try to control it, but such incidents happen.”
Rejecting allegations of political influence, Baidya insisted the inquiry was unbiased, “No political connections here. Those who claim otherwise can do so back in their country. We took an unbiased route and investigated fairly.”
But the bigger question is about the special quota under which Bangladeshi nationals are allotted seats in NITs as part of diplomatic agreements. It is not the first instance of violence and disturbance by a Bangladeshi student inside the NIT Silchar campus. Whether they are taking advantage of being a foreign national and the diplomatic ties is a matter that needs more in-depth investigation.
With serious allegations of drugs, weapons, and violence surfacing — and no police case being filed — concerns remain over whether the matter has been brushed under the carpet in the name of “internal resolution.”
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