In the face of five days of student agitation following the killing of Abrar Fahad, student politics has been banned at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Awami league aligned student body, Chhatra League has said that it will not be involved in any political activity on campus.
However, Chhatra Dal and other parties have called the decision ‘illogical’ and said they will not dissolve their committees.
Some student bodies have said that they will carry on facing the challenges posed by the administration.
On Friday (Oct 11), while talking to agitating students at the BUET Auditorium, the VC, Saiful Islam, said: “There won’t be any organisation based politics at BUET.”
It’s found that the administration is moving towards proscribing organisation based politics.
Sources say that while there are Chhatra League and Chhatra Dal committees at BUET, the leftist parties do not have any active organisation.
General Secretary of Chhatra Union, Anik Roy, said: “Since organisational politics is banned, we will have to carry out our work from a separate platform.”
Chhatra Dal General Secretary, Iqbal Hossain Shyamol observed: “We will not accept this and reject the decision of the administration. This country has a tradition of student politics, which should not be scrapped due to the terrorist acts of the Chhatra League.”
General secretary of the SamajtantrikChhatra Front, Rashed Shahriar, added: “We reject the decision of BUET; we will carry on with our programme and face the administration in the future.”
Meanwhile, Chhatra League General Secretary LekhakBhatyacharya said: “Since BUET has banned organisational politics, Chhatra League won’t have any activity there.”
But if a fundamental force rears head taking advantage of the absence of student politics, then the administration will have to answer, he added.
Sounding a firm warning to militant forces, he added: “We shall resist such forces with all our capability.”
On Oct 6 night, a second-year student of BUET, Abrar Fahad, was beaten to death at BUET’s Sher e Bangla Hall. Police later said that they found proof of beating and several CCTV footage also confirmed this.
Following Abrar’s death, BUET erupted in protest and students began a movement based on a ten-point demand including the revocation of student politics at BUET.