Dhaka University Deputy Registrar Muhammad Lavlu Molla has been sent to jail under the Anti-Terrorism Act after a late-night campus operation involving the university’s proctorial team and a group of students widely believed to be aligned with extremist Jamaat-e-Islami-backed networks.
The arrest—triggered by a simple Facebook graphic expressing support for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—has deepened concerns about escalating political repression and the growing influence of radical elements inside Bangladesh’s oldest and most historically progressive university.
A Dhaka court on Tuesday rejected Lavlu’s bail petition and ordered his immediate imprisonment, one day after he was forcibly taken from his residence at the university’s staff housing complex.
Facebook graphic sparks intimidation, detention
The controversy began after a graphic circulated from Lavlu’s Facebook account featuring Sheikh Hasina’s image with the caption: “I don’t care.”
The post angered groups aligned with the Yunus-led interim administration—an authority facing mounting questions over legitimacy, due process violations, and increasing reliance on Islamist political forces.
According to Dhaka University students and eyewitnesses, the incident escalated drastically on Monday night when members of the DU proctorial team, joined by extremist-leaning student activists linked with Islami Chhatra Shibir, gathered outside Lavlu’s apartment with chants demanding he be dragged out and assaulted. Witnesses said the group appeared intent on mob violence, shouting slogans calling for “punishment” and “public humiliation.”
Lavlu’s desperate Facebook Live: “I have done nothing wrong”
With the crowd outside growing increasingly aggressive, Lavlu went live on Facebook to document the situation and appeal for help. Visibly shaken but composed, he told viewers, “I have done nothing wrong. Yet they are taking me away. I accept this unjust arrest, but no torture will ever change my honesty or my principles.”
He ended his live broadcast declaring with conviction, “Sheikh Hasina will return to Bangladesh.”
Shortly afterward, police arrived and took him into custody—though eyewitnesses say law enforcement stood by silently as the mob surrounded the building.
Eight hours later, police cite an old Anti-Terrorism Act case
Eight hours after his detention, Shahbagh Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Khalid Monsur told The Voice, “We found evidence of Lavlu’s involvement in a previous case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. He will be shown arrested in that case.”
The timing of this sudden “discovery” has raised serious eyebrows, with legal observers noting a worrying pattern: individuals sympathetic to Sheikh Hasina are increasingly being linked to unrelated or dormant cases to justify politically motivated arrests.
Pro-Yunus student activists celebrate the arrest
In a chilling development, Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) leader Fatima Tasnim Juma publicly celebrated Lavlu’s detention. In a Facebook post she wrote:
“We have handed Lavlu over to the police. Our stance will be the same for genocidal teachers. Anyone who tries to show sympathy for them will also be held accountable.”
Her comments, widely circulated on campus, have intensified fears over rising vigilantism and the infiltration of radical rhetoric into student politics—once a hallmark of Bangladesh’s liberation-era democratic movements.
Court rejects bail; concerns grow over campus repression
On Tuesday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Masum Mia ordered Lavlu to jail, denying him bail. The decision comes amid a wider crackdown in which university teachers, students, and administrators have reported being targeted for expressing dissenting political opinions or posting content sympathetic to Sheikh Hasina.
Human rights defenders warn that the misuse of the Anti-Terrorism Act—originally intended to combat violent extremism—is now being weaponized to silence secular voices, academic staff, and civil society members.
A longtime pro-liberation activist becomes political target
Lavlu’s political past adds deeper context to his arrest. He previously served as president of Dhaka University’s Surja Sen Hall Chhatra League unit and later as a vice-president of its central committee—roles that place him firmly within the pro-liberation, secular political tradition.
Colleagues describe him as professional, soft-spoken, and never associated with militancy or radical ideology—an image sharply at odds with the terrorist label now being used against him.
The broader climate: shrinking space for secular expression
Under the current interim administration, Bangladesh’s academic spaces—especially Dhaka University—are increasingly seen as battlegrounds where extremist elements are asserting dominance. Teachers have reported intimidation, students say dissent invites harassment, and administrators fear politically guided policing within campus.
Lavlu’s arrest illustrates a troubling shift:
- Social media posts are being treated as acts of “terrorism.”
- University officials and students are participating in vigilante-style detentions.
- Police involvement often appears reactive, not protective.
- Legal justifications are being retroactively fitted to pre-planned arrests.
For many, the incident is emblematic of how far Bangladesh has drifted from its secular, liberation-war legacy—and how quickly intimidation has replaced civil discourse under the interim authority.
As concerns mount over institutional erosion, political oppression, and the normalization of mob influence, Lavlu Molla’s jailing stands as another stark example of a nation struggling to hold onto its democratic foundations while navigating an increasingly hostile and polarized political landscape.
