No org but BCL active at BUET in a decade
Although the students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology were now demanding a ban on student politics on the campus, no student organisation but ruling Awami League backed Bangladesh Chhatra League had active committee or programme there in the past decade,
The aggrieved students raised the demand after their fellow student Abrar Fahad Rabbi was killed by a group of leaders and activists of Chhatra League following his facebook post on deals signed between India and Bangladesh during prime minister Sheik Hasina’s recent tour of India
The 21-year-old Abrar Fahad Rabbi, a second-year student of department of electrical and electronic engineering at BUET, was tortured to death at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall early Monday.
The students on Thursday continued their protests on the campus demanding capital punishment of the killers, rustication of all students involved in the murder, and a complete ban on organisation-based politics on the campus within October 15.
The university teachers associations and alumni association also demanded outlawing student politics on the campus.
One of the protesters, Antora Tithi on Thursday told New Age they did not want a complete ban on student politics as it had a glorious past but political party affiliated student organisation’s activities must be banned in BUET as it already taken enough tolls.
Leaders of several student organisations told New that no activities of any student organisations but Chhatra League was on the campus after Awami League assumed office in January 2009 fearing persecution and harassment by Chhatra League activists.
They said they had no organisational activities as Chhatra League established a reign of terror on the campus and students who hold different views also became victim of Chhatra League’s persecution.
The university authorities did not take any steps to curb violent activities of Chhatra League activits which encouraged them to become more ferocious, they alleged.
On July 14, 2018, the university unit Chhatra League confined several leaders of Progressive Students Alliance, a combine of left-leaning student organisations, for hours at the university cafeteria when they went there to distribute leaflets demanding establishment of democratic environment on the campus.
Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Mehedi Hasan Nobel said earlier they had organisational activities in the campus but they could not form any committee at the university after 2004 as Chhatra League did not allow any opposition views.
Samajtantrik Chhatra Front general secretary Nasiruddin Prince said they had last committee at the university 2012 and their then president Goutom Roy was beaten up by Chhatra League activists several times. Since then, they could not form any committee.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Fazlur Rahman Khokon said they had no organisational activities in BUET in last ten years as Chhatra League activists several times beaten their leaders and activists on the campus.
None of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s president or general secretary could be reached over mobile phone despite several attempts.
Meanwhile, Education minister Dipu Moni on Thursday said as per she knew at BUET student organisations of other political parties also had strong position for long.
She talked to the journalists after attending a seminar at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital.
‘It cannot be acceptable that students cannot speak out because of the student organisation of the ruling party, she added.
She said prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the authorities of BUET could ban student politics on its campus if they want to but the government would not impose anything.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
