Chhatra Dal demands student council election at all universities

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders on Wednesday demanded student council elections at all the universities across the country, including the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, to make the academic environment terrorism free. At a press conference they also said that it was the decision of only the BUET students whether they would allow politics in BUET. The central committee of BCD, the student wing of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity in the capital on the ongoing BUET crisis. BJCD president Rakibul Islam Rakib and general secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir spoke at the programme in presence of other central committee leaders and activists. While reading out a written statement, Rakibul Islam claimed that the BUET students had stood against the politics of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, since the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad by some BCL leaders in 2019. Besides this, the BCL had also done all violent activities by protecting the murders, rapists, drug dealers and illegal business centring tenders, he continued. Rakibul Islam also alleged that as BCL was not being capable to continue these activities on the BUET campus now they were conspiring to start these again. ‘No other student organisations, including BJCD, will take the responsibility of these ill deeds,’ he said, adding, ‘Even after the murder of Abrar Fahad on BUET campus, BCL continued its torture on all public universities’ campuses and government colleges.’ ‘We believe that the concern of BUET’s general students for the safety of their lives and damages to their academic environment at the presence of BCL is very rational,’ he said. By expressing respect to the recent order of the High Court, Rakibul said that if student politics were resumed on the BUET campus then coexistence of all political organisations should be ensured. ‘We demanded student council election and coexistence of all political organisations at all the universities,’ he said and added that they had solidarity with the stance of BUET students against ill politics. Nasir Uddin Nasir said that if the BUET students welcomed BJCD then the Chhatra Dal would start their activities on the BUET campus. The BJCD president also said that they would go to the Dhaka University campus after the Eid-ul-Fitr. The general students of the BUET meanwhile continued their movement for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday to keep the campus free from politics. On Tuesday BCL announced a four-point programme to bring back regular political activities on the BUET campus. The BCL announced the programme after the High Court on Monday allowed the activities of all political organisations on the BUET campus, responding to a writ petition filed by BCL central committee member Imtiaz Hossen. Imtiaz, a civil engineering department student at BUET, has been organising the showdown of BCL leaders and supporters on the campus since March 29. The BUET authorities cancelled his permission as a resident student following the demands of protesting students. BUET general students, however, have been demanding the permanent expulsion of Imtiaz and some other students for resuming BCL activities on the BUET campus on March 29 through a showdown defying the ban. The university authorities banned political activities on the campus following general students’ protests in the wake of the killing of BUET student Abrar Fahad by some BCL leaders at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall on October 7, 2019.
Published on: 2024-04-03 10:56:25.679504 +0200 CEST