Chatra League again
BCL infighting continues despite PM's warning
10 hurt in Jahangirnagar Univ clash, 5 arrested
Activists of the Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League's associate body of students, continued clashing with rivals within the organisation in educational institutions flouting the warning of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief. A group of the Chhatra League activists attacked another group in the Mir Mosharraf Hall in Jahangirnagar University early Friday, in which at least 10 students were injured. The police later raided the hall and arrested five of the group which attacked their fellows.
After a gunfight between two Chhatra League groups on the university campus, which prompted the central Chhatra League committee to suspend on February 17 the activities of the university unit activities for an indefinite period, Hasina summoned the organisation's president and general secretary three times and warned them of tough action if such infighting continued on the campuses.
After the Awami League had assumed office in January, two student leaders were killed, more than 1,000 students injured and about 25 educational institutions were closed over clashes by and within the Chhatra League.
Abul Kalam Asad Rajib, the general secretary of the Dhaka Medical College unit Chhatra League which has already served out its tenure, was killed on Tuesday in a factional feud, and the Rajshahi University unit Chhatra Shibir general secretary, Sharifuzzaman Nomani, was killed by Chhatra League activists on March 13.
The clash in Rajshahi University forced the closure of eight educational institutions in Rajshahi for an indefinite period — Rajshahi University, Rajshahi Medical College and Rajshahi College on March 13 and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi Government New Degree College, Government City College and Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute and the Institute of Health Technology the next day.
The Government New Degree College, Government City College and the Institute of Health Technology in Rajshahi reopened in the past week.
The clashes in Dhaka Medical College also forced the closure of the institution for an indefinite period.
After the killing of Abul Kalam Asad Rajib, senior Awami League leaders expressed extreme annoyance at the recent Chhatra League activities and they were thinking about disbanding the committees of the organisation.
In Jahangirnagar University on Friday, at least 10 Chhatra League activists were injured in factional feud in the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall.
In Chapainawabganj on Thursday, three Chhatra League activists of rival groups and two village policemen were injured as the two groups clashed at Ranihati of Shibganj over putting up a banner welcoming the lawmaker.
Twenty-five were also injured, in addition to Rajib's being killed, in Dhaka Medical College on Tuesday. At least 10 were injured of two Chhatra League groups in the Government MM College in Jessore when the groups clashed over dominance on the campus on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Tolaram College of Narayanganj, Chhatra League activists locked up the college to pressure the administration in connection with admission of some students going beyond the norms. Sources in the Mir Mosharraf Hall in Jahangirnagar University said Chhatra League activists of the Polash-Regan Group with help of some outsiders had attacked the activists of the Pritam-Sabbir Group at about 4:30am with hockey sticks, machetes, iron rods and batons.
Ten of the Pritam-Sabbir Group members were injured in the attack. Others managed to get away.Seriously injured are Batch 33 student Belal of anthropology, Batch 34 student Tanmoy of Bangla, Batch 35 student Subrata of economics and Batch 36 students Liton and Ronnie of economics and Rimon of Bangla. They have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Witnesses said the activists loyal to the Polash-Regan Group at about 4:30am entered the hall by cutting the gate of the hall canteen as the two main gates of the hall were locked and guarded by the activists of the Pritam-Sabbir group after they had taken control of the hall in February.
The students of the hall also complained the attackers had also beaten a number of general students not involved in any kind of politics and looted more than Tk 5,000 and 100 mobiles from the students.The university's proctorial body visited the hall at 5.30am along with about a hundred policemen.
When the police started raiding the hall at 8:00am, all but five activists loyal to the Polash-Regan Group managed to get away. No arms were found in the raid.
The arrested are Batch 36 students Tofa and Arif of history, Batch 34 student Shahed of government and politics, Batch 34 student Shajeeb of statistics and Batch 36 student Shawon of geography.
The university's acting proctor Professor Md Arzu Mia told newsmen proper steps would be taken after identifying the criminals.Pritam told New Age, 'Of course, there is someone powerful behind them [Polash-Rigan Group]. They would not have attacked us, otherwise.'
Mahmudud Naser Jony, general secretary of the recently dissolved committee of university unit Chhatra League, told New Age, 'We want the attackers punished.' He denied any involvement of Chhatra League leaders in the incident in the Mosharraf Hossain Hall.
On March 10, activists of the Pritam-Sabbir Group attacked the activists of the Polash-Regan Group in which 15 students were injured.
Chhatra League insiders attributed the recurrence such violence to the absence of chain of command in the organisation and the expiry of the tenures of committees in all tiers.
http://www.newagebd.com/2009/apr/04/front.html#2
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BCL men pocketed huge money from admission seekers
Leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League have received a few crore taka brokering illegal admission of freshmen to government colleges in the capital.
They obtained the money mainly from students on the waiting lists and the ones who failed to qualify in the freshmen admission tests.
The admission tests for the first-year honours programmes of colleges started early last month and will end within a few days.
According to Chhatra League leaders directly involved in this, known as "political admission", at different government colleges, they are taking Tk 20,000 to Tk 1 lakh for each admission as carrots depending on the faculty and the college's reputation. Dhaka College and Eden College top the list of institutions where political admissions are going on.
Chhatra League leaders carry out such illegal admission business with the connivance of a section of teachers, officials and employees of the colleges, sources in the institutions say.
If any college official refuses to comply with Chhatra League leaders' instructions, they are threatened with transfers, according to college sources.
They said Chhatra League leaders, student wing of the ruling Awami League (AL), of Dhaka College unit persuaded the college authorities to take at least 400 "poorly qualified" freshmen in.
The same thing is going on in many government colleges in the capital as well as in different districts of the country..
Eden College, Govt Kabi Nazrul College, Govt Bangla College in Mirpur, Govt Titumir College, Badrunnesa College, Teachers' Training College and Govt Shaheed Suhrawardy College are all in the grip of Chhatra League leaders, sources said.
During the last BNP-Jamaat alliance rule, leaders of their student wing--Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir--were also involved in similar practices.
In Dhaka College, Chhatra League leaders halted the admission process a few weeks ago as the college authorities started admission independent of the Chhatra League leaders' so-called business. The college authorities had to negotiate with the student leaders and reach a consensus to restart admission process, sources said.
A couple of weeks ago, Eden College unit Chhatra League leaders had kept their principal confined to the college office for about three hours to force the authorities take in 50 students on the waiting list under "political admission".
Sources said students who failed to qualify in the freshmen admission test or are way down the waiting list can easily get enrolled in colleges paying the Chhatra League leaders.
Moreover, students who qualified for a department but want to move to a better one can also pay the leaders and move up the list.
Talking to The Daily Star a number of Chhatra League leaders said they are engaged in this to oblige senior leaders and influential persons, including members of parliament, with their requests.
"We are political workers and we have to carry out their requests," said a Dhaka College unit Chhatra League leader preferring not to be named. He, however, did not answer when asked if the senior leaders asked them to take money from the admission seekers.
In Dhaka, Kabi Nazrul and Eden colleges, the top two Chhatra League posts holders are doing this "business of political admission" while a general secretary and a president of Chhatra League units of Shaheed Suhrawardi College and Badrunnesa College are also doing.
Lawmaker Fazle Noor Tapash told The Daily Star, "I'll take stern actions against them [Chhatra League leaders] if proof is found of their involvement in such practices."
Chhatra League General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton told The Daily Star that they have not received any allegation from any quarters regarding this. "If we receive such information, we will launch an investigation and take action accordingly," he added. |
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http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=82654
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http://www.dailynayadiganta.com/2009/04/05/fullnews.asp?News_ID=137917&sec=1
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