Niemur-Rahman-Emon | Daily Observer

Rent Manipulation Syndicate

Niemur Rahman Emon

Dhaka University (DU), one of the country's premier educational institutions, is reportedly losing a staggering Tk 18.36 crore every year due to an organised syndicate that manipulates shop rents at university-owned markets. Investigations reveal that while DU collects minimal rent from its properties, powerful middlemen are illegally subletting shops at exorbitant rates, pocketing crores and ...

Quake prompts DU to launch structural assessment

Niemur Rahman Emon

Dhaka University (DU) authorities have ordered a full evacuation of all student residential halls, prioritising physical safety following a series of earthquakes that left 24 students injured on campus.The mandatory evacuation, requiring students to vacate halls by 5 PM on Sunday, was finalised during an emergency virtual meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Niyaz Ahmad ...

DU's sudden hall shutdown order: Necessary or politically motivated?

Niemur Rahman Emon

Dhaka University (DU) is facing new questions after authority ordered every residential hall to be evacuated by 5pm on Sunday following recent earthquakes. Many students now ask if the sudden move is only about safety or if politics also plays a role, as the order came only after Saturday's Facebook post by DUCSU General Secretary SM ...

DU’s sudden hall shutdown: truly necessary or politically motivated?

Niemur Rahman Emon

Dhaka University (DU) is facing new questions after the authority ordered every residential hall to be evacuated by 5 PM on Sunday following recent earthquakes.Many students now ask if the sudden move is only about safety or if politics also plays a role, as the order came only after Saturday’s Facebook post by DUCSU General ...

'21 lakh Dhaka buildings require urgent earthquake survey'

Niemur Rahman Emon

Dhaka requires immediate earthquake safety surveys for over 21 lakh buildings to prevent catastrophic loss of life, said Adil Mohammad Khan, a urban planer member at Bangladesh Institute of Planners.Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) holds jurisdiction over these structures, which must be assessed for seismic resilience.A 2024 Rajuk study paints a dire picture, warning that a ...

Is Sarba Shibir’s pawn or campus safety enforcer?

Niemur Rahman Emon

Chaos swept Dhaka University over the weekend as eviction drives targeted unregistered stalls, vagrants and alleged drug carriers. At the centre of the storm is Sarba Mitra Chakma, a DUCSU executive member whose nightly patrols and public updates have split opinion: some see him as a Shibir pawn manipulating student politics; others hail him as ...

Religious insults spike across country's universities, scholars warn

Niemur Rahman Emon

Religious insults across the country’s campuses have surged alarmingly this year, with students and professors facing allegations ranging from Quran desecration to classroom slurs targeting faith communities. Scholars warn that curriculum deficiencies and inadequate punishments are fuelling the crisis, threatening interfaith harmony nationwide. Earlier this month, North South University student Apurbo Pal desecrated the Holy Quran on ...

DU dorms face alarming structural decay

Salimullah Hall situation evokes memories of Jagannath Hall tragedy

Niemur Rahman Emon

Thousands of residential students at Dhaka University are living under constant threat as ageing hall buildings show severe structural deterioration, with crumbling plaster and deep cracks exposing reinforcement rods throughout dormitories.The alarming situation came to light when a chunk of plaster fell onto a student's bed at Salimullah Hall's Room 142 on 19th October, triggering ...

DUCSU, JUCSU, CUCSU, RUCSU Polls

Shibir sweeps 87 out of 102 posts, JCD only 2

Niemur Rahman Emon

Candidates backed by Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir have dominated student union elections across the country's premier public universities, securing 87 out of 102 positions in four major campuses, whilst Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) managed to win merely two seats.Following the mass uprising of 2024, student union elections returned to public universities after years of ...

Shibir sweeps 87 seats of 4 univ unions, JCD barely wins two

Historic wins at CU, RU

Niemur Rahman Emon

Shibir sweeps 87 seats of 4 univ unions, JCD barely wins two