Razor blade found in DU hall canteen food

A student at Dhaka University’s (DU) Jasimuddin Hall found half of a razor blade in his dinner, marking the second such incident at a DU hall canteen in less than two weeks.

On Thursday night, Shariful Islam Kedi, a student of the 2020-21 academic session, had ordered duck meat and vegetables. While reaching for the duck meat after finishing his vegetables, he spotted half a blade inside the dish.

He immediately alerted senior students and the canteen manager, who rebuked the cook and replaced the meal. Kedi photographed the blade and shared the image in the hall’s WhatsApp group.

The hall administration fined the canteen owner Tk 5,000 on the spot. Hall students’ union vice-president (VP) Md Osman Goni said that the canteen owner and cook denied any knowledge of how the blade ended up in the food, adding that neither had encountered such an incident in their years of working at university canteens.

He noted that the canteen had recently changed ownership following complaints about food quality. “It is possible that many people may be doing this deliberately to discredit the hall union,” he said, adding that CCTV footage would be reviewed.

The hall provost could not be reached for comment in this regard.

A similar incident was reported on July 5 at Shaheed Sergeant Zahirul Haq Hall, where student Badhon found a sharp blade in his curry during a late-night meal.