Questions have been raised over the motive behind the demonstrations being staged on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) campus under the banner of ‘general students’ for the last few days and people who are working behind.
It has been noticed that the students who are leading the ongoing demonstrations on BUET campus are reluctant to expose their identities before the media, creating the mystery over the motive of the movement.
Besides, a section of the activists in the BUET campus movement are bullying and abusing the students who believe in the spirit of the Great War of Liberation. Their bullying and attitude towards the latest incident raised questions about their identities. Sources said using the sentiment of general students ofdifferent public universities, vested quarters led by BNP and Jamaat have become desperate to destroy the existing stable situation of the country at any cost after the general election held on January 7.
Sources said activists of Chhatra Shibir and Chhatra Dal, who want to create unrest there, are leading the movement in a bid to create unrest on the BUET campus by misleading the general students.
According to sources, by misleading the general students, they are also trying to forge a movement against Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) using the banner of ‘general students’.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury on Saturday said it will be investigated whether militant groups are carrying out activities secretly on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) campus.
“A few days ago, many people complained that some militant groups are conducting activities secretly in Buet. There was a lot of discussion and criticism about this. We will investigate that matter more deeply,” he said.
Our Dhaka University Correspondent reports:
A section of BUET students staged demonstrations on March 29 and 30, protesting the entry of some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists into the campus.
The students, on the first day, demanded a safe campus and called for measures against the involved BUET students who helped the BCL leaders enter the campus with political motives.
The students joined the demonstration, expressing solidarity with the movement and organised a press briefing there.
In response to the incident, the students have boycotted all sorts of academic activities, including the scheduled classes and exams on March 30 and 31.
The demands of the students included expelling the involved BUET students from halls and departments for violating the university’s regulations, clarifying the BUET administration’s stance about this incident, ensuring the safety and security of all the protesting students in a written format, and making sure that no harassing steps will be taken against them.
The students also demanded the resignation of the Directorate of Students’ Welfare (DSW), saying that the DSW failed to perform his duty.
On March 29, the BUET authority cancelled the resident hall seat of the accused student, Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, in response to the demand of the students, said a notification signed by the Register (on additional duty), Professor Dr. Md. Forkan Uddin.
Apart from this, the authority has formed a six-member probe committee to investigate the incident and asked them to submit the report within April 8.
On the next day, on March 30, the students continued their protests in this regard in front of the administrative building.
‘Fuelled by dark bodies’
A group of five BUET students claimed that suppressing progressive politics, dark politics like Hizb ut-Tahrir are being input into people’s minds in the name of a politics-free campus.
Ashik Alam, a student of the university’s Mechanical Engineering department and the spokesman of the group, said, “We never said that we wanted student politics in BUET or are conducting it on campus. We honour the regulations of the university. If any student belongs to the families of freedom fighters or pro-Awami League, they are experiencing bullying and harassment.”
They made these comments at a press briefing on March 30 on BUET’s Shaheed Minar premises.
“We want to conduct studies and give exams peacefully. Whatever the ideologies of a student, we will not patron the anti-independent consciousness,” he added.
He raised the question of why an important term exam boycotted on a politics-free campus where nothing actually happened.
Ashik Alam claimed that the ongoing demonstration is being staged using emotions and fueled by the ‘dark bodies’.
BCL’s rally today
The Bangladesh Chhatra League calls for a protest rally on the Central Shaheed Minar premises at 11:00am on March 31, demanding revival of student politics on the BUET campus.
Background
As mentioned, on March 28 midnight, BCL president Saddam Hussain, along with other leaders and activists, entered the BUET campus.
There were allegations that BUET student Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, an executive member of the BCL central wing, was present at that time and played a vital role in the entry of BCL.
The protesting students of BUET considered this ‘midnight entry’ of BCL leaders and activists on campus as a conspiracy to revive student politics on BUET campus.