Chhatra League Out of control
While the government has managed to keep law and order relatively under control, the country's educational campuses are rife with violence, tender manipulations, bribery for admissions and more... can the errant student front be brought under control?
by ANWAR PARVEZ HALIM
Chhatra League, the student front of Awami League, flexed its muscles the moment the party came to power. It spread a web of terror around the various educational campuses of the country. It launched a virtual 'jihad' against its rival student fronts Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir (the student fronts of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami respectively). They drove them away from the campuses and halls and then unleashed their network of tender manipulation, extortion and other underhand money making schemes. It wasn't long till they began to fight over the spoils among themselves and Chhatra League's inner conflicts took on dangerous proportions. Things went to such an extent that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is considered the guardian of Awami League, declared she no longer had anything to do with the organisation. This was a stern warning against Chhatra League. However, their organisation's unruly activities continued unabated.
In the latest eruption of violence within the party, a general student of Dhaka University was killed. The victim, Abu Bakr, was a resident of F Rahman Hall and totally uninvolved in politics. His death created an uproar around the country even though Home Minister Sahara Khatun tried to brush it aside as nothing out of the ordinary. Her tactless remark met with furious response from all around. This was hardly a responsible statement from the minister. So who will bear the responsibility of this death? Who will bring Chhatra League under control? This is a matter of grave concern.
Why did Bakr die?
Abu Bakr came from a very simple family of the village Golabari in Madhupur upazila of Tangail district. He was a third year student of Islamic History and way staying in Room 404 of F Rahman Hall. His fellow students simply can't accept his meaningless death. After all, he was not involved in politics at all yet became a victim of political violence. The entire campus of Dhaka University mourns his death. The students say he was killed by a tear gas shell fired by the police. What circumstances had led the police to fire tear gas shells into the hall?
According to reliable sources, a serious rift had developed between the Chhatra League central committee and the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra League. This rift flared up and led to the outburst of violence in F Rahman Hall.
Sohel Rana Tipu, President of the Dhaka University Chhatra League and Sajjad Sakib Badsha, General Secretary of the unit, had sharp differences with their counterparts in central Chhatra League, Mahmudul Hasan Ripon and Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton respectively. The Dhaka University unit would pay no heed to the central committee. The central committee then used the F Rahman Hall Chhatra League President Sayeduzzaman Faruk to corner Sohel Rana Tipu and Sajjad Sakib Badsha. Faruk would follow instructions directly from the central committee and ignore orders from Rana and Badsha. In order to make the university committee appear weak and ineffective, Faruk intentionally created the clashes at F Rahman hall that night.
When the clashes went out of hand, the proctor called in the police to take action and bring the situation under control. The police entered the hall and began beating up the students indiscriminately and also began lobbing tear gas shells. It was a tear gas shell that hit Bakr on the back of his head. He fell to the ground, his head bleeding profusely. However, with the chaotic situation outside, he couldn't be taken to hospital immediately. It was long 40 minutes later at about three o'clock in the morning that he could be taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries.
While the students say Bakr had been hit by a tear gas shell and died, the police deny these accusations. They maintain that he was injured by bricks or iron rods or something similarly hard and then died of the bleeding from the wound. The post mortem report says the same. The minister says this was just a stray incident and could have happened to anyone. So the question is, who is responsible for Bakr's death? Who will take the blame? Who will answer to Bakr's grieving parents?
The admission business
Chhatra League's reign of terror has spread to all the colleges under the National University too. This is the time for admission into the colleges and Chhatra League has taken full advantage of this. They are running a full-fledged "admission business" and the authorities of the colleges are helpless. Chhatra League obstructs them from admitting students into the first year Honours classes.
As students had been admitted into colleges through unlawful means last year, this year the National University brought out a merit list so only deserving students could be admitted. As a result, no student from outside of the merit list would be able to get admission. Even if the Chhatra League leaders would insist on their persons getting admitted, the college authorities could do nothing as they were tied by the rules.
Vice Chancellor of the National University Kazi Shahidullah has said that they would not tolerate any irregular interventions in the admission process. Chhatra League, on the other hand, is unwilling to accept such dictates. They are creating all sorts of obstructions to the admission into the colleges. Chhatra League activists have disrupted admissions to Dhaka College for the third time. They have prevented students on the merit list from getting admitted into Sher-e-Bangla College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College and Eden College. Chhatra League workers sit around the gates of these colleges from the morning, snatching away admission forms and mark sheets from those coming for admission. Even with police protection, the college authorities are unable to give out admission forms. The teachers of the various colleges are being threatened. Some are even being assaulted.
Due to Chhatra League's activities, admissions have been stopped in Dhaka College, Mirpur Government College, Government Bangla College, Comilla Victoria College, Kushtia Government College and Jessore MM College. Several other colleges in the city, including Eden College, have come to a standstill.
Dhaka College has 700 vacant seats and, it has been alleged, Chhatra League is demanding that 500 seats be given to students of their choice. Which the administration has not agreed to do. On January 26, the day of the admissions, Chhatra League cadres disrupted the entire process. They assaulted some of the teachers and damaged college property.
Of the 1600 seats in Kabi Nazrul College, Chhatra League has been given a quota of 300. Titumir College had 4500 seats; Chhatra League demands 1000. The student front similarly is running an admission business in Tejgaon College, Eden College and other colleges of the capital.
Students seeking admission say that students who have fallen behind on the merit list have to pay certain sums of money, depending on the college, to get admitted into subjects of their choice. Chhatra League workers take anything from 50 thousand to one lac taka each from students wanting to get admission to Dhaka College, Eden College and Titumir College. Even many of those on the merit list are having to pay fat sums to get admission --- nothing less than 20 thousand taka.
This admission business has also led to clashes among the Chhatra League cadres in various colleges. When governments change, so do the Vice Chancellors and other key persons in the administration of the country's universities and colleges. Persons of the government line get these posts, but even they are now helpless in the face of Chhatra League's muscle. Teachers are being insulted and assaulted. Chhatra League leader Emdad Hussain, during this government's term, beat up Rajshahi University teacher Anupam Hira Mondal. Chhatra League leader Imran Latif Shetu brutally assaulted Dinajpur Government College teacher Prof. Alauddin. These teachers sought justice, but in vain. The party and administration remained mum.
Chhatra League rules when it comes to the tender business in Dhaka University too. Last Monday a tender was floated, inviting bids for equipment for the power substation of Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University. Chhatra League activists prevented a company from even submitted their bid.
While the government is at its wits ends trying to control the tender manipulations on the campuses, Chhatra League continues to wiled its clout with no end in sight.
Awami League leader Obaidul Kader has expressed his shame at the death of the Dhaka University student. He says, "As a former President of Chhatra League, I am ashamed of this incident. There will be no condoning of such activities, no shelter anymore. Stern action will be taken against these persons who are carrying out such activities in the name of Chhatra League."
The ministers of the present government often speak of upholding the rule of law. Is Chhatra League exempt from this? Does the student front consider itself above the law? The Prime Minister may have done well by removing herself from the position of guardian, but that is not enough, say critics. She must immediately clamp down on Chhatra League or else this wayward body will overshadow all the successes of the government. The Frankenstein must be stopped and stopped now.
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