Former and current students and university teachers plus activists feel that anarchy, terror and bullying in the name of student politics should end, not student politics per se.
Dhaka University Chhatra Federation general secretary, Faisal Mahmud, feels that the politics of intimidation in the name of student politics need to end.
Instead of stopping student politics, the politics that make students hostage need to end, he said adding: “Such an environment has to be ensured that no organisation will be able to do anything illegal.”
Also, the aspect of student politics that ensure rights of the student will be closed and this will aid those who take free democratic atmosphere at the university as a threat.
Terrorism and thuggery under the patronization of administration are responsible for the death of Abrar. If an organisation was active to uphold the rights of the students then the hall would not have turned into concentration camps.
Activist Akramul Huq feels that the demand to stop student politics will only conceal the main problem. He said: “this is not a solution; heads of education institutes are involved in toeing political lines, if the VCs and Provosts performed their duties dispassionately and as per rules, the problems would have fallen automatically.”
President of BUET teachers’ association, AKM Masud Rana said: “There should not be direct or indirect politics because once influenced by politics, a decent person becomes malicious and vile.”
Professor Ali Reaz of the department of government and politics of Illinois State University in USA says: “Outlawing student politics triggers the culture of imposing unjust decisions on students.”
The context of the demand by BUET students to rescind student politics has to be taken into account since there isn’t the presence of any other student parties at universities other than the ones aligned to the ruling party, added Professor Reaz.
If students of BUET or any other institute say that Chhatra League’s politics need to be banned then they may be termed ‘anti-government’ and face torture, he added.